Mariano Rivera is–without a doubt–the greatest relief pitcher in the history of baseball. But, a young, up-and-coming St. Louis Cardinals flamethrower in Jordan Hicks has the potential to give him a run for his money.
The legendary New York Yankees closers finished his career with the most regular season saves (652) and postseason saves (42) in MLB history while also posting a record 205 Adjusted ERA+ and an absurd 0.70 postseason ERA, also a major-league best.
Rivera's cutter is one of the ultimate pitching weapons in baseball history, which he used it to shred opposing hitters. With pinpoint command of the zone, Rivera was actually more effective against left-handed batters because of his ability to front door the cutter and break bats on a fairly regular basis.
Obviously, Rivera has set unbelievably lofty standards for any closing pitcher to follow. And yet, Hicks might just be that guy.
At just 21-years-old, Hicks threw over 77 innings for the Redbirds last year, immediately getting thrown into the fire for one of the proudest and most competitive franchises in the history of baseball.
The results were not anything too spectacular (3.59 ERA and 8.1 K/9), but Hicks' potential was on full display all season long.
Though he has not been officially named as the closer in St. Louis, all signs point to Hicks anchoring the back end of the bullpen. And at just 22-years-old, this is only the beginning of a career that could wind up as the best of any closer in MLB history.
The Sinker
For Rivera, it was the cutter. For Trevor Hoffman, it was his changeup. Aroldis Chapman blows hitters away with 100-plus MPH fastballs. And already, Hicks' sinker is looking like one of the most dynamic pitches in major league history.
According to FanGraphs, Hicks registered a 10.0 Pitch Info Pitch Value with his sinker last season. And according to MLB Statcast, Hicks' average velocity with the pitch was an absurd 100.4 MPH. He also threw four of the five hardest pitches in 2018.
In fact, Hicks registered at over 100 MPH on average for all of his hard stuff, including the four-seam and two-seam fastballs.
Just look at how filthy this pitch is running away from left-handed hitters:
Jordan Hicks, Insane 100mph Sinker. 😱 pic.twitter.com/iSPORcsLXV
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 19, 2018
This dynamic is interesting, because Hicks actually struggled against lefties last season, as opponents from that side of the plate hit .264 with a .374 OBP off of the young righty.
Those are hardly sustainable numbers, but as Hicks continues to perfect his command, he should be able to have tremendous success with that sinker ball against left-handed hitters.
The other question is the spin rate. Although Hicks averaged nearly a full mile per hour faster on his fastball than Chapman, his spin rate registered at nearly 400 RPMs fewer than Chapman's.
Given that Hicks already possesses the velocity, an increased spin rate could make him nearly untouchable for opposing hitters.
Remember that he is still very raw; he essentially made the big-league roster out of Spring Training last year and was immediately given a heavy load as a rookie. This winter likely saw a number of mechanical adjustments.
Which leads me to…
Young and full of untapped potential
Hicks' age; he is still just 22! Rivera was dominant as soon as he was handed the reins in New York, but he did not assume the closer role until he was 27-years-old.
Of course, with Hicks' young age comes a touch of inexperience and erraticism, especially for a pitcher with his kind of stuff. Hicks had one of the worst BB/9 rates of any reliever at 5.2, and also hit eight batters while throwing nine wild pitches.
Still, the dominance is evident. Righties hit just .150 with a paltry .457 OPS off of Hicks last season. He struck out over 25 percent of righties he faced last season, which he should certainly exceed this year. Imagine if he begins to have success against left-handed hitters as well.
Even though it is very hard to take stock in Spring Training games, Hicks has struck out seven batters in two innings of work. How is that possible, you might ask? He followed up a dropped-third strike with another strikeout.
That kind of dominance is noteworthy, even if it is in early March and the games don't matter.
Hicks threw his sinker 75 percent of the time last season, but he is making a concerted effort to mix in more sliders. Considering that he registered a 51.8 “Whiff” percentage with his breaking ball last year, establishing that second pitch would truly make Hicks one of the game's elite relievers.
Bottom line
With a sinker ball that could be as unhittable as any pitch in the history of the game and plenty of room to grow, there is no reason why Hicks could not eventually challenge Rivera as the greatest closer ever.
Of course, he is still extremely young and health will always be a factor, especially given Rivera's tremendous longevity.
That said, with one of the best pitching coaches in baseball teaching him the ropes for a competitive ball club in St. Louis, the sky could be the limit for Jordan Hicks.
Follow Us
Subscribe