John Hicks

John Hicks

35-Year-Old CatcherC
 Free Agent  
2025 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for John Hicks in 2025. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
$Signed a one-year, minor-league contract with the Phillies in November of 2022. Released by the Phillies in July of 2023.
Cut by Philadelphia
CFree Agent  
July 11, 2023
The Phillies released Hicks on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
After linking up with the Phillies on a minor-league deal during the offseason, Hicks had spent the entire 2023 campaign with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, hitting .206 with three home runs and 11 stolen bases across 206 plate appearances. While the 33-year-old could land another minor-league deal from an organization looking to add to its catcher depth, he'll have an uphill battle to reach the majors, where he hasn't appeared since 2021.
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring John Hicks See More
MLB Barometer: Workload Management Season
August 17, 2023
Erik Halterman investigates who's hot and who's at risk of getting shut down, with Cleveland's Gavin Williams fitting both categories.
Collette Calls: Endgame Favorites
March 16, 2022
Jason Collette turns his focus to the endgame of fantasy baseball drafts. Is Mitch Keller worth another look in Pittsburgh in 2022? What should we prioritize in the reserve rounds?
The Z Files: My Top 350 Rest-of-Season Hitters
August 11, 2021
Todd Zola offers up his hitter rankings for the rest of the season, as scheduling and a stacked lineup makes Bo Bichette one of a trio of Blue Jays in the top 10.
AL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
July 11, 2021
Erik Siegrist reviews the American League player pool heading into the All-Star break and notes that some big-name talent, such as Luis Severino, is set to get healthy in the coming weeks.
MLB FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
July 8, 2021
Jason Shebilske analyzes the top waiver-wire options for the week, including the Nationals' Starlin Castro.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
The fact that Hicks received 333 plate appearances last season says far more about the Tigers' other options behind the plate than it does about Hicks. While he did manage a respectable 13 homers, his .210/.240/.379 slash line was good for a very poor 56 wRC+. That's debatably not good even for a defense-first backup catcher, a description which doesn't apply to Hicks, whose defense graded out rather poorly. He added 26 starts at first base, though he likely wouldn't have done so for any other club given how far below the standard his bat is there. Now a 30-year-old free agent, Hicks is unlikely to be high on the priority list for many teams. He may have just enough power to be an acceptable fantasy option if injuries open up a temporary starting role, but it's more likely that he spends the bulk of the year as a third catcher than as a starter.
Hicks received a career-high 312 plate appearances in 2018, starting 20 games behind the plate and another 56 at first base. He hit a respectable .260/.312/.403, good for a 95 wRC+, perfectly fine for a catcher but not nearly good enough for a first baseman. Hicks is not going to take over as the primary catcher, but with Miguel Cabrera possibly starting more games at designated hitter now that Victor Martinez has retired, occasional starts at first base will be open for Hicks. At 29 years old and without much on his resume, Hicks is unlikely to be part of the Tigers' future. That said, the team doesn't really have many major-league-ready prospects beating down the door to take Hicks' roster spot in 2019. He could be a deep-league catcher fill-in if he falls into more at-bats than expected.
The Tigers leaned on Hicks for a career-high 190 plate appearances last season, as injuries to Miguel Cabrera created an occasional need for help at first base, and the organization's lack of depth at the position prompted Hicks to move out from behind the plate. The opportunity went better than his brief run in Seattle in 2015, as he showed some power when he was able to connect, but opposing pitchers seemed to figure him out later in the year, as he went 8-for-53 with 17 strikeouts over the Tigers' final 30 games. Even if Cabrera is unable to return to his previous workhorse level volume of playing time, it seems likely that a better backup option will be in place before Opening Day. Additionally, Hicks is unlikely to usurp James McCann for a larger role behind the plate, so it's difficult to expect anything more from him in 2018.
Hicks has bounced around the minors for the majority of his career thus far, appearing briefly for the Mariners in 2015 before being waived by them. The catcher was claimed by the Twins and started the 2016 season with their Triple-A Rochester affiliate, where he batted .242 in nine games before being waived and picked up by the Tigers, who assigned him to their Double-A affiliate Erie. Hicks excelled there, slashing .388/.426/.510 in 14 games before being promoted to Triple-A Toledo. There he slashed .303/.356/.485 in 70 games, swatting 8 homers to go along with his 42 RBI before being called up to the majors. The 27-year-old played in only one game for the Tigers after being called up, going 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored. With Jarrod Saltalamacchia hitting free agency, the Tigers are in need of a backup for James McCann, a role that could belong to Hicks barring any free agent signings.
The Mariners designated Hicks for assignment when they signed Chris Iannetta in the offseason. Hicks was snatched off waivers by Minnesota, where he will add depth at catcher behind Kurt Suzuki and John Ryan Murphy. He hit a combined .290 across two levels in 2014, but poor plate discipline and contact issues caught up with him in 83 Triple-A games last season when he posted a .644 OPS. He had two hits in 32 at-bats with the Mariners after a late-season callup, and he'll likely be back at Triple-A this season as an organizational depth option for the Twins.
A .296/.362/.418 batting line in 53 games with Double-A Jackson earned Hicks a promotion to Triple-A Tacoma in mid-July. The move up came with some slight growing pains, but Hicks got back on track in the Arizona Fall League, slashing an impressive .304/.396/.522 with two homers and a 6:7 BB:K in 13 games. It was enough to convince the Mariners he warranted protection from the Rule 5 draft, and they went ahead and added Hicks to their 40-man roster in November. The 25-year-old may very well get a chance to compete with Jesus Sucre for the backup job in spring training, but Hicks' power has dried up for the most part in recent seasons -- he's managed just nine homers over the last two years after smacking 15 in 2012 -- and it's unlikely he would hold value in any format in such a limited role.
More Fantasy News
Goes to minors camp
CPhiladelphia Phillies  
March 27, 2023
The Phillies reassigned Hicks to minor-league camp Monday.
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Inks minor-league deal with Philly
CPhiladelphia Phillies  
November 18, 2022
Hicks signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Friday.
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Gets off to nice start
CChicago Cubs  
March 17, 2022
Hicks went 2-for-2 with a double, a solo home run and three RBI in Thursday's Cactus League game against the White Sox.
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Invited to camp
CChicago Cubs  
March 13, 2022
Hicks is attending big-league spring training as a non-roster invitee, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
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Finds work in Windy City
CChicago Cubs  
February 7, 2022
The Cubs signed Hicks on Jan. 31 to a minor-league contract.
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