Yanks website disturbed at Hicks instant success blame coaches and tout Oriole fix on day one.

[crowmst3k!]

While the Yankee tears taste great, the bigger takeaway from this is the synergy between scouting, analytics, and coaching. 

See problems, see potential, acquire player, suggest fix, implement fix.  

[interloper]

Guys acquired this past year who have improved with the O's this season:

Frazier
O'Hearn
Hicks
Coulombe
Gibson

Guys who have not:

McCann
Givens

Guys like Cano don't qualify for this list technically, but either way, that's a great hit-rate. And the guy who hasn't improved doesn't hurt you that much being a backup catcher.  ** EDIT: Added Givens, thanks @sportsfan8703

Edited June 14, 2023 by interloper

[LA2]

3 minutes ago, interloper said:

Guys acquired this past year who have improved with the O's this season:

Frazier
O'Hearn
Hicks
Coulombe
Gibson

Guys who have not:

McCann

Guys like Cano don't qualify for this list technically, but either way, that's a great hit-rate. And the guy who hasn't improved doesn't hurt you that much being a backup catcher. 

Also, I wd wager that McCann's bat will improve next month--by far his best career-wise. Glad in any case that he can throw out runners unlike Adley so far this season.

[Emory Eagle]

7 hours ago, Gurgi said:

https://yanksgoyard.com/posts/aaron-hicks-orioles-resurgence-is-real-enough-to-cast-doubt-on-yankees-coaches-01h2h01x8e00

His effort level? That was obviously not going to get better after he unleashed complaints about his current role before ... Game 3 of the 2023 season. Usually, that's the final step before a full shutdown. It occurred this year before the Opening Day bunting had even been taken down. Often, players who seem to be stuck in slow motion are wrongfully accused of not caring. With Hicks, it didn't seem too farfetched.

Despite the possible sandbagging, a return to 2018 form still seemed extremely unlikely. He didn't appear to be dogging it on a full tank. He had lost a step, in the field and at the plate. Possibly two steps. This early decline appeared to stunt his motivation and cause him to check out ... until he went to Baltimore, of course, and became a human energy drink from minute one.

So, who's to blame? Hicks? The Yankees' coaches? Combination of the two? Based on early reports, it ... really seems like Dillon Lawson (and Marcus Thames) and Co. deserve a degree of blame. Or do they deserve credit for their immaculate work in making Hicks look like a $10 million albatross?

After all, considering how quickly it all clicked into place with the Orioles, maybe the Yankees' hitting coaches were the ones sandbagging it for reasons unknown.

According to Hicks and the O's hitting coaches, the team reviewed his Yankees film and crafted an immediate adjustment. Hicks was told to begin from a more athletic stance. He decided to stand more upright. The rest is, apparently, history.

To be honest, not sure I really believe that small adjustments to batting stances / swing mechanics can really make too much of a difference.  I expect it is much more complicated than that, and no one, not even coaches, can really be sure of why things sometimes click into place, or vice versa.  However, I'm glad Hicks is playing well at the moment, and I hope it continues.

[Ohfan67]

23 minutes ago, interloper said:

Guys acquired this past year who have improved with the O's this season:

Frazier
O'Hearn
Hicks
Coulombe
Gibson

Guys who have not:

McCann

Guys like Cano don't qualify for this list technically, but either way, that's a great hit-rate. And the guy who hasn't improved doesn't hurt you that much being a backup catcher. 

And at least McCann is contributing defensively. I've been very impressed with his pitch framing, etc. He's a good catcher. 

[clapdiddy]

There's obviously no way that Hicks will continue at this pace.   It is nice to see that the O's have some suggestions to help a guy struggling.   Sometimes, it may just be a change of scenery that helps the player.   I think he's a decent guy to have around as a 4th/5th outfielder who gets two or three starts a week resting guys.  I think he provides more versatility than McKenna since he's a switch-hitter.  

 

Edited June 14, 2023 by clapdiddy

[Frobby]

7 minutes ago, Ohfan67 said:

And at least McCann is contributing defensively. I've been very impressed with his pitch framing, etc. He's a good catcher. 

He’s also had an xwOBA of .334, much higher than his .247 wOBA.   His K rate is at a career low of 19.1%.  Lots of indicators of bad luck so far.  

[deward]

1 hour ago, Moose Milligan said:

I get it, people want to think that the guy they landed who was on the outs for another team is going to go on a tear and become completely legit.  And it happens with a guy like Jose Bautista or Max Muncy from time to time.  

But the moaning and groaning over a heater in the first couple weeks is over the top and silly.  

That heater mostly seemed to come in one series against the O's, not longer after they had let him go. I think people were just frustrated with the turn of events at the time.

[Hazmat]

I wonder if we would have grabbed Tapia had Hicks not become available.

[sportsfan8703]

1 hour ago, interloper said:

Guys acquired this past year who have improved with the O's this season:

Frazier
O'Hearn
Hicks
Coulombe
Gibson

Guys who have not:

McCann

Guys like Cano don't qualify for this list technically, but either way, that's a great hit-rate. And the guy who hasn't improved doesn't hurt you that much being a backup catcher. 

Add Givens to the list of "have not improved".  

[spiritof66]

3 hours ago, vab said:

Never ceases to amaze how many fans jump to conclusions after, what, two weeks? I hope Hicks keeps this going but it's far more likely he'll regress much closer to the performance that got him DFA'ed. Let's just enjoy his hot streak while it lasts and hope Mullins can get back before Hicks really cools off. 

I suppose that's likely, but I saw a lot of Hicks when he was with the NYYs. The Oriole Hicks looks like a completely different player from the recent NYY Hicks. Not just in the results, but in his approach at the plate and in the field.