For several months, Aaron Hicks was a hot potato on the side of the Bronx. The outfielder was no longer the shadow of the player he was in his prime, and despite opportunities to prove his worth, he couldn’t come out of his torpor.
And with the supporters who booed him copiously, it did not help the main interested party.
The Yankees finally decided to put an end to his ordeal by releasing him a few weeks ago, and in the end, Hicks ended up bouncing back to Baltimore. With Cedric Mullins on the sidelines, Hicks was an insurance policy.
However, since his arrival in town, he is downright a transformed player. He is back to hitting the ball with confidence and that translates into good performances.
Clearly, the change of air seems to have done him good, and Hicks is aware of that. In fact, he confesses that he feels a lot less pressure from the Baltimore side than he felt in the Bronx.
Knowing that he is not one mistake or bad luck away from losing his position in the lineup allows him to breathe and not be too affected by the more difficult moments. He digests them better and he is confident that he will be able to recover the next time.
Clearly, he seems to be leading a small tip towards his former club, where he seemed to feel quite a bit of pressure on a regular basis. He got into a vicious cycle in the Bronx, where each mistake he made made him more likely to make another (and boos from his own supporters didn’t help him out).
That said, it just wasn’t working for him in the Bronx anymore. I highly doubt he would have had the same resurgence even if the club had trusted him more or even if the fans had been more lenient with him.
Sometimes just a change of scenery can be very beneficial for a guy who is struggling. Talk to another former Yankees, Gary Sanchez, who is having a good time in San Diego.
So it’s good news for Hicks if he’s happier in his new uniform, especially since it translates to good performances on the field. All that remains is to hope that he will be able to keep the pace over a longer sample of matches.
