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 98.4 mph, and has touched 101.5.
185 thrown, 61.7% of his pitches.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Hicks's sinker moves 17.3 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
185 thrown, averaging 98.4 mph.
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.
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.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Hicks works with 2 pitches: Sinker and Sweeper. The sinker is 61.7% of everything he throws.
300 classified pitches in 2026.
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 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.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Hicks goes to the 4-seam fastball: 9.5% of his two-strike pitches, against 0.9% the rest of the time.
84 two-strike pitches in 2026.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Hicks releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 38 degrees above horizontal and 1.7 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
298 tracked release points, averaging 5.7 feet off the ground.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Hicks throws the sweeper 40.4% of the time against right-handers and 18.8% against left-handers.
188 pitches to right-handers, 112 to left-handers.
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 he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Hicks throws a fastball 72.4% of the time, against 60.2% when he is ahead.
87 pitches behind in the count, 83 ahead.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Hicks's sinker leaves the bat at 90.3 mph, against 86.2 off his sweeper.
185 and 97 of them thrown.
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.
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.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Hicks puts 52.3% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 43.4% when he is ahead.
86 located pitches behind, 83 ahead.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
10.9 mph separates Hicks's sinker from his sweeper, 98.4 against 87.5.
185 and 97 of them respectively.
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 6.2 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
214 tracked pitches in 2026.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Hicks throws a strike on the first pitch 61.7% of the time.
81 plate appearances started in 2026.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Hicks has thrown 10 4-seam fastballs this season, 3.3% of his pitches, at 97.9 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
300 classified pitches 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 98.4 mph, and has touched 101.5.
185 thrown, 61.7% of his pitches.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Hicks works with 2 pitches: Sinker and Sweeper. The sinker is 61.7% of everything he throws.
300 classified pitches in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Hicks throws the sweeper 40.4% of the time against right-handers and 18.8% against left-handers.
188 pitches to right-handers, 112 to left-handers.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Hicks's sinker leaves the bat at 90.3 mph, against 86.2 off his sweeper.
185 and 97 of them thrown.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
10.9 mph separates Hicks's sinker from his sweeper, 98.4 against 87.5.
185 and 97 of them respectively.
One pitch exists only to make the hitter think
Hicks has thrown 10 4-seam fastballs this season, 3.3% of his pitches, at 97.9 mph: a look rather than a weapon.
300 classified pitches in 2026.
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 17.3 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
185 thrown, averaging 98.4 mph.
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
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
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Hicks goes to the 4-seam fastball: 9.5% of his two-strike pitches, against 0.9% the rest of the time.
84 two-strike pitches in 2026.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Hicks throws a fastball 72.4% of the time, against 60.2% when he is ahead.
87 pitches behind in the count, 83 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Hicks puts 52.3% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 43.4% when he is ahead.
86 located pitches behind, 83 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Hicks throws a strike on the first pitch 61.7% of the time.
81 plate appearances started in 2026.
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 38 degrees above horizontal and 1.7 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
298 tracked release points, averaging 5.7 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Hicks releases the ball 6.2 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
214 tracked 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.
White Sox