He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Hicks puts 39.8% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 50% of his pitches to left-handers.
188 pitches to right-handed hitters, 112 to left-handed hitters.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Hicks's sinker averages 99.1 mph, and has touched 102.2.
400 thrown, 45% of his pitches.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Hicks throws a fastball 79.2% of the time, against 53.2% when he is ahead.
226 pitches behind in the count, 278 ahead.
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Hicks averages 94.6 mph across his arsenal, 96th percentile in the league.
300 pitches in 2026. 96th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 21st in MLB.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Hicks's sinker moves 16.3 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
400 thrown, averaging 99.1 mph.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Hicks goes to the 4-seam fastball: 31.9% of his two-strike pitches, against 15.5% the rest of the time.
307 two-strike pitches in 2026.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Hicks's stuff spins at 1,943 rpm, 5th percentile in the league.
300 pitches in 2026. 5th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 508th in MLB.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Hicks throws 40.3% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 46.3% with the bases empty.
136 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 164 with the bases empty.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Hicks's 4-seam fastball carries 13.9 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
188 thrown, averaging 99.4 mph.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .299 expected average against them, against .238 on his breaking balls.
195 of his fastballs thrown.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Hicks lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.25 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
886 located pitches in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Hicks throws the sweeper 37.2% of the time against right-handers and 18.7% against left-handers.
557 pitches to right-handers, 331 to left-handers.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Hicks throws a strike on the first pitch 67.4% of the time.
215 plate appearances started in 2026.
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Hicks projects a .292 average, 82nd percentile.
300 pitches in 2026. 82nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 99th in MLB.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
13.0 mph separates Hicks's 4-seam fastball from his sweeper, 99.4 against 86.4.
188 and 269 of them respectively.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Hicks releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 41 degrees above horizontal and 1.7 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
886 tracked release points, averaging 5.8 feet off the ground.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Hicks puts 59.1% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 37.4% when he is ahead.
225 located pitches behind, 278 ahead.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Hicks works with 3 pitches: Sinker, Sweeper and 4-Seam Fastball. The sinker is 45% of everything he throws.
888 classified pitches in 2026.
He lives on one side of the plate
Hicks works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 2.1 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
886 located pitches in 2026.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.9 mph off the bat against Hicks, 28th percentile.
300 pitches in 2026. 28th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 387th in MLB.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Hicks's sinker leaves the bat at 88.5 mph, against 85.4 off his 4-seam fastball.
400 and 188 of them thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Hicks lands 46.6% of his fastballs in the zone and only 37.1% of his breaking balls.
195 of his fastballs, 97 of his breaking balls.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 35.4% of the contact Hicks gives up is hit hard, 69th percentile.
300 pitches in 2026. 69th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 169th in MLB.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Hicks releases the ball 6.3 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
802 tracked pitches in 2026.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Hicks has thrown 31 splitters this season, 3.5% of his pitches, at 91.2 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
888 classified pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Hicks's 4-seam fastball spins at 2,288 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
188 thrown in 2026.
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The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Hicks puts 39.8% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 50% of his pitches to left-handers.
188 pitches to right-handed hitters, 112 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Hicks's sinker averages 99.1 mph, and has touched 102.2.
400 thrown, 45% of his pitches.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Hicks throws the sweeper 37.2% of the time against right-handers and 18.7% against left-handers.
557 pitches to right-handers, 331 to left-handers.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
13.0 mph separates Hicks's 4-seam fastball from his sweeper, 99.4 against 86.4.
188 and 269 of them respectively.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Hicks works with 3 pitches: Sinker, Sweeper and 4-Seam Fastball. The sinker is 45% of everything he throws.
888 classified pitches in 2026.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Hicks's sinker leaves the bat at 88.5 mph, against 85.4 off his 4-seam fastball.
400 and 188 of them thrown.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Hicks has thrown 31 splitters this season, 3.5% of his pitches, at 91.2 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
888 classified pitches in 2026.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Hicks's 4-seam fastball spins at 2,288 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
188 thrown in 2026.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Hicks throws a fastball 79.2% of the time, against 53.2% when he is ahead.
226 pitches behind in the count, 278 ahead.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Hicks goes to the 4-seam fastball: 31.9% of his two-strike pitches, against 15.5% the rest of the time.
307 two-strike pitches in 2026.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Hicks throws a strike on the first pitch 67.4% of the time.
215 plate appearances started in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Hicks puts 59.1% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 37.4% when he is ahead.
225 located pitches behind, 278 ahead.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Hicks averages 94.6 mph across his arsenal, 96th percentile in the league.
300 pitches in 2026. 96th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 21st in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Hicks's sinker moves 16.3 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
400 thrown, averaging 99.1 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Hicks's 4-seam fastball carries 13.9 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
188 thrown, averaging 99.4 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Hicks's stuff spins at 1,943 rpm, 5th percentile in the league.
300 pitches in 2026. 5th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 508th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Hicks throws 40.3% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 46.3% with the bases empty.
136 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 164 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .299 expected average against them, against .238 on his breaking balls.
195 of his fastballs thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Hicks lands 46.6% of his fastballs in the zone and only 37.1% of his breaking balls.
195 of his fastballs, 97 of his breaking balls.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Hicks lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.25 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
886 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on one side of the plate
Hicks works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 2.1 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
886 located pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
The contact he allows should not turn into many hits
The quality of contact against Hicks projects a .292 average, 82nd percentile.
300 pitches in 2026. 82nd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 99th in MLB.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 89.9 mph off the bat against Hicks, 28th percentile.
300 pitches in 2026. 28th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 387th in MLB.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 35.4% of the contact Hicks gives up is hit hard, 69th percentile.
300 pitches in 2026. 69th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 169th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Hicks releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 41 degrees above horizontal and 1.7 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
886 tracked release points, averaging 5.8 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Hicks releases the ball 6.3 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
802 tracked pitches in 2026.
White Sox