TAMPA – The Yankees’ No. 3 hitter is getting his beak.
Aaron Hicks is introducing bunts – or at least the actual threat of one – of his performances, as part of a larger effort to block opponents’ innings, to prevent him from robbing potential hits to the right. In the list.
Hicks said “I feel like this is for me”, George M. Said on Friday before going 1-for-3 with a double, pulling down the first-base line in a 4–1 loss to the Phillies at Steinbrenner Field. He said, “I have a lot of speed to come first and get hit like that. I feel like it sets the rest of my days, even the beginning of the day with a beak. Somebody’s big, big innings and nobody’s third base, and take advantage of it, because it’s for me.
“I’m watching it. I’ve killed [into] Shift way too much to earn respect for it. So I think adding bunt to my game is definitely going to cause some problems. “
Aaron Boyon reiterated on Friday that Hicks is “a natural in three places”, with DJ Lemahieu leading the way, hitting between Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. The manager likes that Hicks, a switch-hitter, can have a finesse to break a string of right-handed bats, does not land in multiple double plays and meets at a high clip (.379) at the last base is. weather).
But to remain a threat for too many non-home run hits, Hicks is changing his approach at the plate, so he doesn’t hunt so often in shifts. He lamented on Friday that opponents had moved him to the right with three infielders, which carried line drives and hard-hit ground balls far beyond what they could have otherwise gotten.
May be the case in Hicks. According to data from Sports Info Solutions, which tracks the performance of batsmen on ground ball and line drive vs. shift, Hicks has suffered a net loss of 11 possible hits to shift over the past three seasons, which is the top 12 of all hitters. Ranks in percentage during that period.
“I think by adding a bunt, being able to use the middle of the field a little bit more,” [it] Will definitely remove the big innings on the right and eventually give me more chances to get more hits, ”said Hicks, who batted .225 with 121 OPS-plus last season.
Hicks tried just one bunt in the last two seasons combined, and it did not go for a hit. But he flared a right-back against the Pirates last Saturday, downing a third base line that remained unbiased and hit the bag for an infield single.
“I think it’s one of those things, if you demonstrate you can do it even once, it’s something that gets on board with an opposing team and their scouting report,” Boone said. “It’s a sudden real-time decision you have to make about how you’re going to defend, if you’re going to sell out and still move a third baseman. I think there is definitely a place for it, especially when you can do it. This is something that we have encouraged Aaron to do, and it is clearly something that he is capable of doing.
“Even though you do it twice and you succeed, it goes a long way in changing how they play you and eventually opening the arena.”
Hitting in three holes – where he had 135 appearances out of 211 plates last season – Hicks likes how it suits him.
“I’m very relaxed there,” he said. “I understood what a job required. I know that I can do both, hit for power and also on base. With four people around us in our lineup, I think the combination is very good. “
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