It wasn’t a surprise when the San Francisco Giants signed Jordan Hicks as a free agent in the offseason.
The right-hander was considered one of the better relief pitchers on the market. The four-year, $44 million contract seemed reasonable.
What was a surprise, though, was the Giants signing Hicks with the idea that he would be a member of their starting rotation. Before this season, Hicks had made just eight starts in 212 appearances during his five major-league seasons.
However, Hicks has made the Giants look wise so far this season. He is 2-0 with a 1.61 ERA in five starts.
Jordan Hicks Wowing in Conversion to Starter
That led a scout from another major-league team to tell Heavy.com that he thinks Hicks will be a dark horse candidate for the National League Cy Young Award.
“He’s been outstanding, and I didn’t see it coming. I don’t think a lot of people saw it coming,” said the scout, who was granted anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. “The guy has elite stuff. He can blow his fastball by you, and he gets a lot of ground balls. I just didn’t think anyone would look at him as a starter at this stage of his career. The Cardinals tried it, and it didn’t work out. But he looks like he’s ready to have a big year.”
Hicks made all eight of his previous starts with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2022 and went 0-4 with a 5.47 ERA before being sent back to the bullpen. He made his next 86 appearances as a reliever, including 25 with the Toronto Blue Jays last season after being acquired from the Cardinals last July 30.
Yet Hicks never gave up on the idea of being a starting pitcher and had his agent express that to teams when he reached the open market last November. The Giants’ interest was piqued.
“I feel like this a real, true opportunity I’ve got,” Hicks told MLB.com.
Hicks is taking advantage of it.
He has allowed just 16 hits in 28 innings while striking out 18 and walking 10. Hicks is also showing good stamina as he has pitched at least five innings in all five outings. In his last start on April 21, he allowed only one run and one hit in five innings of a no-decision against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Jordan Hicks Made Rookie Splash with Cardinals
Hicks made a splash during his rookie season in 2018 with the Cardinals. He twice had fastballs clocked at 105 mph and routinely reached triple digits with his heater.
Hicks is making the transition from a thrower to a pitcher. Though he can still dial up his fastball, he paces himself with an average velocity of 95.9 mph.
Yet Hicks has thrown his four-seam fastball just 7.4% of the time this season. It is the fourth pitch in a four-pitch arsenal that includes a sinker (52.8%), a sweeper (25.2%) and split-finger (14.5%).
“Usually, guys go the other way – from starter to reliever,” the scout said. “But Hicks is really doing a great job. I was skeptical about him moving into the rotation, but I give the Giants a ton of credit. They took a gamble on this and he’s looking like one of the better pitchers in the league.”
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