Hicks forcing Girardi’s hand
CHICAGO — Well, obviously Aaron Hicks needs to be playing just as often as his fellow outfielders for now, and he’s on a fast track to supplant Jacoby Ellsbury as the everyday center fielder.
Do we even need to discuss this one?
Hicks, the Yankees’ fourth outfielder in name, contributed bigly to the Yankees’ 11-6 pounding of the Cubs at Wrigley Field, another milepost in this increasingly startling campaign. As the starting center fielder, Hicks tied a career high with four hits, contributing two singles, a double and a three-run homer. For the season, the second-year Yankee now owns a ridiculous .355/.468/ .710 slash line.
“We’ve talked about rotating these guys and finding time for Hicksy,” manager Joe Girardi acknowledged after the game. “He has played well all year.”
“I’m just going to be ready for the opportunities that I get,” Hicks said. “Of course, the better you play, the more opportunities you’re going to get.”
Ellsbury, who hasn’t started a game since May 1 due to a nerve problem in his left elbow, hopes to be ready to return to the Yankees’ lineup for their series finale Sunday night, when they’ll go for the sweep of the reigning World Series champs against former Red Sox nemesis Jon Lester. It stands to reason that Girardi will rest the lefty-swinging Brett Gardner against the southpaw Lester, against whom he historically struggles, with the switch-hitting Hicks taking Gardner’s spot in left field.
With mostly right-handers coming down the pike, however, Hicks must continue to play regularly, if not necessarily every day. He should start at least one of the Yankees’ two games at Cincinnati, with the Reds starting righties Rookie Davis (a former Yankees prospect) and Tim Adleman. Go ahead and give the world-beating Aaron Judge a night off. As the Yankees exemplified Saturday, when Judge — in his first time hitting cleanup — went 0-for-5, they can thrive offensively even when their Paul Bunyan doesn’t have it.
In the bigger picture, the Yankees face a potentially delightful dilemma of employing too many quality outfielders. Clint Frazier and Dustin Fowler are both putting up good numbers at Triple-A Scranton/WilkesBarre. Perhaps that depth will be compromised if the Yankees use some of it to acquire the White Sox’s Jose Quintana, Texas’ Yu Darvish or another available frontline starting pitcher at the trade deadline.
So let’s just deal with the immediate issue: Hicks, in the wake of a horrendous 2016 — he introduced himself to the Yankees’ universe with a ghastly .217/.281/ .336 slash line in 327 at-bats over 123 games — has surpassed any reasonable expectation. He has excelled from both sides of the plate, going .361/.511/.778 as a lefty and .346/.400/.692 as a righty. He has played acceptable defense all around the outfield.
Girardi attributed Hicks’ development to “maturing as a player. Understanding, ‘If I don’t play every day, what [do] I have to do to be ready?’ ”
“I feel good,” said Hicks, who explained that he pointed to the visitors’ dugout after hitting his eighth-inning homer because CC Sabathia predicted it. “I feel like my plate appearances have been better. I have more of an idea of what I want to do in every at-bat and it’s working out so far.”
Ellsbury — in Year 4 of his seven-year, $153-million albatross of a contract — is hitting an acceptable .282/.351/.412, rates that put him on a pace to post his best Yankees season. Nevertheless, you would be optimistic to think that Ellsbury, at age 33, can maintain such productive rates.
You bet on youth prevailing here, right? Hicks is just 27, a large reason why he intrigued the Yankees back in November 2015, when they dealt catcher John Ryan Murphy to the Twins for him. Last year’s growing pains hurt the Yankees real bad, yet they still control him through 2019.
This can be a gradual process. There is no harm in getting guys steady rest, and every time the Yankees face a lefty, either Ellsbury or Gardner should sit in favor of Hicks and Judge. The key at present is to ensure that Hicks doesn’t lag behind the other three outfielders in playing time.
As usual, an injury somewhere might resolve this issue. Except I hesitate to even call it an issue. It’s a no-brainer, one the Yankees should be thrilled to execute.