The San Francisco Giants have reported for Spring Training, and there are a few unanswered questions.
One of those questions is who will start after Justin Verlander, Logan Webb and Robbie Ray.
Kyle Harrison is a candidate to take one of those spots and so is Hayden Birdsong. However, Jordan Hicks wants to remain a starter for the Giants.
Hicks started 20 games in San Francisco last season. Only one start came after the All-Star break, though. It was his first season being a full-time starter, so some fatigue was expected.
In 20 starts, Hicks had a 4.01 ERA, 90 strikeouts and a .255 opponent batting average in 98.2 innings pitched. He did get tired after the month of May, though. In June and July combined, the right-handed pitcher had a 6.51 ERA and opponents hit over .300 against him.
The struggles in June and July forced San Francisco to move him to the bullpen, where at one time he was considered a candidate to be a full-time closer with other organizations. One bad relief outing inflated his numbers, but his command was still below average. Along with that, the Texas native allowed opponents to hit .340 off him as a reliever.
This is the fatigue Hicks is hoping to avoid in the upcoming year. The 28-year-old was determined to get himself ready to for a full season of starting in 2025 this offseason.
Per Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle, Hicks gained some weight this offseason to prepare for a full season. Additionally, he said he is ready to “take the training wheels off.”
Jordan Hicks says he gained about 14 pounds in offseason to prepare endurance wise for full season as a starter. Said he feels he can “take the training wheels off.”
— Shayna Rubin (@ShaynaRubin) February 12, 2025
Endurance is going to be an important factor for Hicks. His 109.2 innings pitched in 2024 was the most he threw since his rookie year in 2018. On top of that, he made eight starts in 2022, but that was the only time he has been in that role before last season.
The hard-throwing righty has to perform well if he wants to remain a starter. He is a reliable reliever, so moving him back to the bullpen would not be a hard decision for manager Bob Melvin to make. In fact, a role change may be necessary if that exhaustion starts to show again.
Only time will tell how Hicks’ offseason changes are going to effect him on the mound. The right-hander put in the work when the season ended, and came into camp in better shape. All he has to do now is show it on the field.
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source link
