Jordan Hicks

Hicks, who opted out of the 2020 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June of 2019, returned last spring and was eased into action once the season started. The plan was to eventually return to closing duties, but Alex Reyes performed well in the role early on and Hicks' performance was spotty in low-leverage situations. He strugged to throw strikes, walking 10 batters over 10 innings before elbow inflammation sidelined him for the remainder of the season. The injury required Hicks to get multiple opinions and an injection, but surgery was not necessary. Now the Cardinals may be rethinking his role, as he's expected to compete for a 2022 rotation spot during spring training. Without having to pitch at extreme velocities, the move could help Hicks avoid the recurring elbow problems that have stalled his career. Just be prepared for a workload restriction if he indeed enters 2022 as a starter.

Those who used a roster spot on Hicks in early 2019 drafts were hoping for the best, and never got it. He had Tommy John surgery in June of 2019, so while he could have pitched in 2020, it was highly unlikely he would have looked like the same guy as these recoveries never go off without a hitch. It turned out that Hicks had a setback in his recovery in June of 2020, which made the decision to opt out of the 2020 season even easier for the Type 1 diabetic. The good news here is he is closer to two full years removed from his surgery, so his command should be sharper than it would have been had he pitched in 2020. Walks were a problem for him prior to surgery, but velocity with his movement allows him to overcome some mistakes more than other pitchers. Keep an eye on health reports this winter to ensure the setback is behind him.

To say it's easy to fall in love with Hicks' stuff does not do Hicks' stuff justice. He throws the hardest fastball in the game -- clocking in at over 100 mph on average -- and can break off an impressive slider. Hicks even began experimenting with a nasty changeup, which got people talking in spring training and got the Rob Friedman aka "Pitching Ninja" treatment on Twitter. During his time on the mound in 2019, Hicks had a 28.2 K% and .163 BAA. Here's the problem: pitchers with this extreme velocity and violent arm whip are (in theory) more susceptible to injuries. Unfortunately, we saw this with Hicks, as the right-hander was diagnosed with a torn UCL and underwent Tommy John surgery in late June. Hicks will likely still be only 23 years old when he returns to the major leagues, so his future is extremely bright, but he should not be expected to immediately reclaim closer duties for St. Louis in 2020.

Rather than continue his development as a starter, the Cardinals decided to jump Hicks three levels straight to the big-league bullpen. It was easy to see why St. Louis thought Hicks could bypass Double- and Triple-A and help the team right away -- he throws absolute gas (100.5 mph average fastball). He peppered the Fastest Pitches leaderboard from Statcast, a leaderboard that used to consist almost exclusively of Aroldis Chapman. The right-hander enjoyed quite a bit of success and even got a chance to close out some games later in the year, though for a pitcher with his pure stuff, Hicks didn't generate many strikeouts early on. The Ks did finally tick up a bit over the final two months (22.7%), but so did the walks (17.3%). Hicks' future is bright and he has "future closer" written all over him, but given his inexperience and fits of wildness in his rookie season, it's not out of the question the Cardinals keep him confined to setup duty to start 2019.

Hicks was sidelined with shoulder inflammation after he was selected in the third round of the 2015 draft, so he did not make his professional debut until last season. His numbers in the Appalachian League were not particularly pretty, but his repertoire, which includes a low-90s fastball and a slider with wipeout potential, required a challenge in the form of a promotion to the New York-Penn League in late July. Hicks walked too many hitters at both stops, but his overall production started to match his stuff against short-season hitters, who hit just .217 against him. This allowed him post a 1.76 ERA despite walking 16 over 30.2 innings. The development of his changeup along with better fastball command/control will be paramount in his quest to remain a starter, as is the case with most lower-level arms. Hicks has the raw tools to someday pitch in the middle of a big league rotation, making him worth following as he moves up the ranks.