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With the calendar flipping to February, the countdown to spring training is on. While several free agents have yet to find a home for the 2024 season, one less bat is now available as Aaron Hicks has joined the Los Angeles Angels.
Hicks and the Angels agreed to a one-year deal recently, a deal that is worth the $740K league minimum since the Yankees remain on the hook for the remainder of a seven-year, $70 million contract signed in 2019 that pays him through the 2025 campaign. It's most definitely a low-risk deal for the Halos, who get a player coming in off a bounce-back season with the Baltimore Orioles.
Let's dive in and find out how Hicks fits with the Angels and whether or not he has enough going for him to shift back onto the fantasy radar.
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Does Aaron Hicks Return To Fantasy Baseball Relevance With The Angels?
Hicks' bat cratered in the 2021 season, and he largely scuffled in the 2022 campaign. After 28 fruitless games in 2023, the Yankees had had enough and cut him loose. The division-rival Orioles pounced due to a Cedric Mullins injury in center field, and Hicks rewarded them in earnest.
The 34-year-old completely turned his season around with the O's, hitting .275 with seven home runs, seven doubles, a triple, six stolen bases, 35 runs scored, 31 RBI, and an .806 OPS across 236 trips to the plate. He spent time on the injured list with a back strain, but it was the best he's been since the shortened 2020 campaign.
The productive second half not only landed him a gig with the Angels, but a full-time gig, as he is going to be an everyday player while covering all three outfield spots in 2024. That's certainly step No. 1 in getting back to fantasy relevance.
The bigger question is whether he can indeed stay on the field every day or almost every day. Only three times in his 10-year career (the shortened 2020 season excluded) has Hicks appeared in more than 97 games, maxing out at 137 contests with the 2018 Yankees. He has played 88 games or fewer in five of those 10 campaigns.
So, it appears unlikely Hicks is going to be available on an everyday basis. However, it does appear that Hicks has both power and speed left in the tank with seven HR and all six of his stolen bases in 2023 coming in his 65 games with the Orioles. If we get generous and project a career-high 140 games for Hicks, that is 15 home runs and 13 stolen bases for Hicks in 2024.
With that lofty projection in mind, it's worth noting that ATC is projecting just 90 games, eight homers, six steals, and a .702 OPS for Hicks in 2024. That projection is being reflected in his 742.18 ADP as the 186th outfielder off the draft board.
He is best left alone on draft day, as age and wear and tear will likely take him out of fantasy relevance again in 2024.
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