As Tom Krosnowski pointed out in a piece last week, Aaron Hicks’s value to the Yankees comes mostly from his ability to draw walks, and not from the balls he puts in play. Hicks has the fourth best walk rate in baseball despite hitting seven points below league average. Not only is his swing rate lower than than 70% of the league, he’s particularly discerning when he does. His chase rate at pitches out of the strike zone is the 15th lowest in baseball. Hicks, however, possesses an extremely limited repertoire as a hitter when he actually does put the ball in play.
The Yankees’ Aaron Hicks is a stride away from stardom
