Yankees: Who was their most improved player in 2018?

Unlike the NBA, Major League Baseball doesn’t hand out an award for Most Improved Player but if they did the Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks would have a strong case to win it in 2018.

Ever since he was drafted in the first round by the Twins back in 2008 expectations have been high for Aaron Hicks. Hicks has always had all the tools to be a great center fielder but with the Twins, he was never able to come close to reaching his full potential. In 2016 the Yankees acquired Hicks from Minnesota hoping that a change of scenery would help him unleash some of that potential, but he struggled mightily in his first year in pinstripes with a .217 BA, 8 HR, and 31 RBI.

It wasn’t until 2017 when Hicks really started to come into his own and show why he was so highly touted coming up through the Twins system. Hicks had a very strong first half for the Yanks a season ago, hitting .290 with 10 HR, 37 RBI, and an impressive .398 OBP. Even after he lost the spring training battle for the starting job in right field to eventual ROY winner Aaron Judge, Hicks still managed to post the best first half of his young career despite not playing every day.

After Jacoby Ellsbury went down with yet another injury in late May Hicks took over as the everyday center fielder and remained there even after he returned. Unfortunately, Hicks himself went down with an oblique strain in late June which ended up sidelining him for much of the second half. However, Hicks still set career highs in 2017 with a .266 BA, 15 HR, and 52 RBI, in only 88 games.

Coming into this season Ellsbury had an outside chance to win his job back from Hicks with a strong spring but he got hurt again and went on to miss the entire season. Hicks was always the better option in center field for the Yanks and this season we got to see what he could accomplish over the course of a full season. Hicks didn’t disappoint as he was one of the Yanks most consistent players in 2018, in all aspects of the game.

His defense was gold glove caliber as usual but offensively his plate discipline went from good to elite and his power numbers increased tremendously. Hicks set career highs across the board with 27 HR, 79 RBI, 90 BB, and 90 runs scored in 137 games. He also went 11 for 13 stealing bases. When top sluggers Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez both missed extended time this season it was Hicks who was relied upon in the middle of the order to step up his production to make up for their absences.

Hicks was so valuable this season batting anywhere from 1st to 6th in the batting order and ended up making a nice home for himself batting in the three hole down the stretch. In a lineup filled with former MVP’s and future All-Stars, it was Hicks hitting third for the Yanks in October. I don’t think anyone could have predicted that would be the case a year ago which speaks to how much he grew as a hitter in 2018.

One thing Hicks did better than anyone else for the Yankees this season was work deep counts and get on base at a high rate. He had a .366 OBP and led the team with 90 BB. He also led the AL with 49 BB after the All-Star break. He had a .833 OPS, an above average clip for anyone, but especially for a switch hitter.

Hicks only hit .224 as a right-handed hitter, but he slugged .476 with 9 HR against southpaws compared to .463 and 18 HR against righties. When a player can hit for that much pop from both sides of the plate in addition to getting on base at such a high rate it really deepens and brings balance to the lineup. The Yankees lineup as we all know is right-handed heavy so it’s extremely important to have a switch hitter like Hicks who can produce hitting near the top of their lineup.

This past season he was excellent batting third for the Yanks but next year you can expect Hicks to be the primary leadoff man. With free agent to be Andrew McCutchen likely to sign somewhere else this offseason Hicks is the best option to step in and fill the role. Brett Gardner might be back but he’s no longer an everyday player and Hicks showed last season that he can be a big threat out of that leadoff spot (.276, 11 HR). In today’s era of baseball Hicks is the perfect leadoff hitter because he can hit for power and still work walks and drive up opposing starters pitch counts.

Will the Yankees offer Hicks an extension?

One thing to keep an eye on this winter and over the course of next season is the possibility of the Yankees signing Hicks to an extension. Hicks will be a free agent after the 2019 season and although the Steinbrenner family isn’t known for handing out extensions to players before they enter free agency it’s something they should consider doing with Hicks.

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The same could be said with Didi Gregorius who’s set to join Hicks on the open market next year, but now that he’s out recovering from Tommy John surgery the focus could shift to Hicks. Given that Hicks is just entering his prime years and plays at a premium position he obviously won’t come cheap.

Hicks showed during his breakout campaign in 2018 that he’s truly a five-tool player so he’ll be heavily sought after if he makes it to free agency. There aren’t many center fielders in today’s game who can put the kind of numbers Hicks did in 2018. If he can follow that up with another big season in 2019 he’s sure to be paid handsomely by someone.

Whether that’s the Yankees is hard to predict because they still have to make a decision on Didi and they’ll also have to start locking up some of their young stars like Judge and Severino in the coming years.

How this all plays out is a story for another day way down the road but it is a topic that will surround Hicks and the Yankees all next season. But in the meantime, let’s just appreciate how great he was in 2018 and how much he truly improved to finally reach his full potential as a player.