Yankees Five Reasons To Start Aaron Hicks Over Aaron Judge

It was recently reported that the Yankees are going to award the starting right fielders job to Aaron Hicks and send Aaron Judge to Scranton. That seems hard to believe. And there does not appear to be any real reasons for the decision. So, here are are some unreal reasons to support this unreal claim.

Yankees spring training started with a plethora of story lines. Highly ranked rookies and young veterans came to camp with hopes of earning a job on the big club. And that included Aarons of all sizes—from Hicks to Judge. But after a couple of weeks, when the initial rush of excitement is over, stories can be hard to come by.

That is when rumors and innuendos become hot tips and back page news. And that is what happened last week. Someone in a hall somewhere mused openly that it was possible Aaron Hicks would win the battle with Aaron Judge.

That speculation was seized on by some enthusiastic garrulous employee of the Yankees and repeated in the hushed tones of a hot tip to a bored and anxious scrivener. Et voila! A story that makes no sense is taken as true.

There is no valid reason for Hicks to win out over Judge. It’s not because Hicks has more upside than Judge; the opposite is true. And Judge is three years younger. Hicks was drafted higher in the first round (2008–14^th) than Judge (2013–32nd) but he neither outplayed Judge in the minors nor distinguished himself in his MLB career.

For instance, they both played in the minors in their ages 22-24 seasons, in part or full. Hicks at 22 did an excellent job at Double-A, slashing .286/.384/.460. And of his 135 hits, 13 were home runs. Judge spent his 22^nd year on Earth splitting time between high and low A ball and hit .308/.419/.486. But of his 144 hits, 17 left the yard.

A Powerful Reason

It is impossible, however, to directly compare their next two seasons because both players spent time at multiple levels, including with their respective MLB clubs. But, while there is a healthy debate to be had based on their minor league slash lines, there is no comparison of power numbers.

And that is what ultimately separates these two: the power. Hicks hit a total of 14 home runs and collected 79 RBI’s during his age 23 and 24 seasons. Judge, during his same age seasons, hit 43 homers and 147 RBI’s.

Apparently, Hicks has not won the Battle of the Promising Prospects. But some observers might note that Hicks had far better numbers last year than Judge; that is true. But last year was not Hicks pro debut, and that is where the comparison lies.

Judge hit .179/.263/.345 in his 27 game tryout last year. Ouch. Even with four home runs and 10 RBI’s, nothing can make that line look good and striking out in 42 of 84 at-bats only makes it worse.

Hicks was probably better in his debut back in 2013, but not much. His average was higher but the rest of his slash was a bit worse: .192/.259/.338. But his power was once again the difference. Even though he had 3.5 times as many AB’s, he only hit 8 homers and picked up a paltry 27 RBI’s. He also struck out in a third of his AB’s, which is a lot better than The Judge but is still nothing to write home about.

Yankees Should Not be Puzzled

Between the two Yankees players, Judge has a lot more value and potential. He already beats Hicks in any power profile. The other piece to the puzzle is that Hicks has had more chances to prove himself in the MLB and has proved himself mediocre.

He played in 69 games in 2014, and the results were only slightly better, hitting .215/.341/.274 with one home run. And while he improved again during his 97-game stint the following year–.256/.323/.398 and 11 homers—that production from a third-year pro is, as Padma Lakshmi once famously said, pedestrian at best.

And, as we all know, the Yankees gave him his biggest chance last year by letting him have 361 plate appearances. He responded by regressing. He finished with a .217/.281/.336 slash line and a home run total of 8. I don’t need to see any more of Judge to know he deserves a chance over Hicks.

But, if I did, I can compare their spring training numbers as of today. Based on all these factors, the only way Hicks should be able to win the job is if he puts up Greg Bird’s numbers while Judge puts up Jorge Mateo’s. Judge has 11 hits, is batting .275, and has an OBP of .356. Hicks stands at 9 hits with a .265 average and an OBP of .359.

Add to all of this Hal Steinbrenner’s pronouncement in the off-season and Aaron Judge is holding all the cards.

“My expectations are he’s going to be my starting right fielder this year. That’s a big deal and a big opportunity. I know he’s going to make the most of it.”

Summary Judgment

To sum it up, Aaron Judge has more of an upside, hits for a lot more power, is younger with more time under team control, is the desired candidate of the owner and is having a better spring.

So, yes, Hicks is winning the job at this point. Sure. That is not to say that Judge cannot go in the tank and Hicks takes off. If Judge finished hitting 150 points lower than Hicks, things might change. But not as they stand now.

This article so far has been for those who believe in facts and reasoning. The rest is for those who think that the Yankees, right now, will give Aaron Hicks the starting right fielders job. Since you will believe any made-up stories you read, I have made up some reasons Hicks is winning this competition.

With no further ado, here are The Top Five Reasons Aaron Hicks Will Win The Yankees Right Fielders Job Over Aaron Judge.

Reason Number Five: Aaron Hicks has embarrassing photos of Yankees Hal Steinbrenner

This one at least makes more sense than comparing numbers and potential. Hicks must be in possession of pictures so damning they could bring down the Yankees organization. Therefore, Hal must keep Aaron on the Yankees or risk exposure.

But then why would he come out and insist he wants Judge to win the position? Because, by publicly coming out for Aaron Judge, he throws suspicion off of himself. In this incredibly likely scenario, Hal’s story in the off-season works as cover.

Once Hicks is named the starter, we get the ineffectual Yankees owner overruled by Joe Girardi again. Secrets and secret dealings once again shape the Yankees; the Evil Empire at its best.

The part I struggle with is exactly what pictures Hicks could have. What does Hal do that can be construed as embarrassing? Did he show up for a business meeting without a tie on? Wear mismatched socks on a Polo Divot Stomp? Express a human emotion?

I can see that any of those would shatter his persona and freak out Yankees fans everywhere. Actually, if this is the reason—and remember that I have no reason to think it is and no evidence to support it—I think letting Hicks play is worth it. My god, can you imagine Hal Steinbrenner giggling? I’m not ready for that.

Reason Number Three: This is an Example of Hal Steinbrenner’s Sense of Humor

I want to be clear that I am a big fan of Hal’s. He has put the money back into the team and intends to win every year. But he is also a realist. He knew that the team was not going to win anytime in the last two or three years. And he might have looked at projections that told him the baby Yankees would not arrive in force until 2018.

Add to all of that how Hal has been treated in the press and by the fans. His dad, George, went out while the Yankees were on top. The team’s success over the last 15 years of his active involvement placed George in a mandorla.

His passing also gave Yankees fans amnesia. All of a sudden he was always great and the team had always been successful during his tenure. They seemed to forget little things like the 1980’s. George traded players and reassigned managers and general managers the way Joe Girardi shuffles pitchers in a tight game.

What he did not realize was that stability is the mark of a great organization. Teams like the Spurs, Steelers and St. Louis Cardinals know that even good managers can have losing seasons. It is better to stick with coaches and managers who have been successful in the playoffs rather than search for the Next Big Thing. Big George never got that and the 80’s Yankees were never a serious threat to win anything.

But Which Steinbrenner is more Fun?

Not so for Hal. He got that from day one, and the team has been a model of professionalism and consistency since he took over. They might not have won much lately, but they have neither bottomed out in any season nor quit on the field. And now that the farm is starting to provide players, the continuity and planning should pay off handsomely.

But no matter what he does, Hal is always going to be compared unfavorably to his dad. Just two years ago I heard the prominent co-hosts of a mid-morning show—with a damn catchy theme song—predict Hal would sell the team within five years. No one believes him, or in him.

So maybe he thought he would put Hicks on the team just to frustrate critical Yankees fans and commentators. He might have thought that, since the Yankees were not likely to win it all for a couple of years, a part-time player will not make a difference. I have never seen or heard of Hal making a joke so this is in the range of possibility, as much as any other reason I have heard so far.

If so, good one, Hal. I will try to pay you back by mismatching your socks.

Reason Number Two: The Tangibles

The most obvious reasons that Aaron Hicks deserves to win the job in right are his intensity on the field and the numbers he has put up throughout his career. Whether he is staring down a 97-MPH throwing gunslinger or coming through in a clutch situation, Hicks is clearly rising up and the Yankees have a budding star on their hands!

I am sorry, but that joke never gets old. I just had to use it one more time; hilarious stuff. It just feels good to laugh. Back to the real reasons.

So, on to the Number One Reason…

Aaron Hicks Sold his Soul to the Devil!

Alright, Yankees haters, feel free to insert your jokes here:

And clearly he has to serve his time at the home office;

Was he the player to be named later in a separate deal between the Yankees and the Devil?;

“Devil Corp.” is a subsidiary of Yankees Inc.;

Isn’t that how all Yankees get to be successful?

There is only one big problem with this scenario. Some of you might think that Hicks would have better numbers had he sold his immortal soul. That turns out to be very easy to explain: there is only so much even the Devil can do to make Hicks a good player.

Signing the standard Soul-to-the-Devil contract for becoming a Yankees player is like taking steroids. It can help in many important ways but cannot turn just anyone into a great Yankees player. Just ask Danny Tartabull; it was his contract I used as research for this article.

Related Story: See Which Yankees are Winning Positions; Just Don't Look for Hicks in this Article

Okay, this last one might seem a bit far fetched. But no more so than the story that started this piffle of a piece, that Aaron Hicks might get the right fielders position over Aaron Judge. I don’t believe that story and you should not believe this one.

But if it does come to pass, if the impossible becomes reality, well, we might just have to revisit some of these reasons. The only logical conclusion will be that one of them is correct. I hope it turns out to be that Hicks has a compromising video; seeing Hal show a human emotion is on my bucket list.