Yankees amazing and inconceivable season at the 40-game mark

Aaron Hicks only likes odd numbered Years

If Aaron Judge seemed like the favorite in the MVP category, Aaron Hicks had to look like the favorite here. And why not? Last year Hicks slashed .217/.281./.336. The only guys who had lower ERA’s with at least 100 AB’s were Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez.

Mark and A-Rod each slugged at a higher percentage (.362 and .351, respectively) and Tex even had a higher OBP (.292). A-Rod was so bad he got cut; Tex was so god awful he just quit playing. How I wished a similar fate for Aaron Hicks.

But baseball has always been about redemption and Hicks has been reborn. His slash line is almost from a different player: (.301/.441/.570). He leads the team in OBP at .441 and is second in OPS (which is OBP plus slugging) at 1.011. That also makes him one of only two Yankees with an OPS above one, the other being Judge (1.159).

Hicks has fewer strikeouts than walks (21/23) and is second on the team in stolen bases. The biggest reason he wins this award, though, is his attitude. He has a better plan for each at bat and is providing pressure on the base paths. I spent all winter writing that I did not want Aaron Hicks on the team. What I meant was that I did not want the 2016 version of Hicks.

This new guy I like just fine and is the second biggest upgrade on the team, right behind…