Who is John Hicks, the homer-hitting Texas Rangers call-up?
The catcher, who started the season at Triple A Round Rock, went deep twice Saturday and has three home runs in his two starts.
One of the greatest effects the COVID-19 pandemic caused for sports media is the lack of access. MLB and the Players Association didn’t want most journalists — including writers and TV and radio broadcasters — included in the COVID testing last season or this one.
It makes sense. Did MLB really want a bunch of writers hanging around and possibly breathing the virus onto their products (the players)? Imagine if the 2020 postseason had been brought to a halt by, say, me.
The safety protocols really impacted writers in spring training. That’s when players have their guard down, at least compared to the regular season, and are more accessible and open with media.
That goes for however many players the Rangers cram into their spring clubhouse.
So, writers are just now finding out about some players as fans are. None of the Rangers’ beat writers have actually met several players face to face or had one-on-one interviews with them.
Included in that large group is catcher John Hicks, who apparently hits home runs every time he plays.
Hicks swatted two Saturday night as the Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners 7-3 at T-Mobile Park. Throw in the homer he hit in his Rangers debut Thursday at Oakland, and he is the second player in franchise history with three homers in his first three games.
The first to do it? Catcher Don Leppert for the 1963 Washington Senators.
“It’s a lot emotions,” said Hicks, who was added to the roster Tuesday. “It’s hard to put into words with everything that’s been happening the last couple days, but, obviously, it’s pretty awesome.”
So who is this Hicks guy?
Well …
Hicks is from Virginia, and he is in the University of Virginia Baseball Hall of Fame. He is the only player in history to hit College World Series homers at the old Rosenblatt Stadium and the new TD Ameritrade Park. Pretty cool.
He and his family have ties to the Verlander family. Older brother, Daniel, was on the same high school team as Justin Verlander, and Hicks is buddies with Verlander’s younger brother, Ben. Hicks took Justin deep in the ninth inning of a 2019 game.
Hicks played travel ball in high school with Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, technically a former Rangers minor-leaguer and giver of pep talks. Hicks faced Wilson in college, collecting two hits off the North Carolina State pitcher/infielder.
Hicks’ nickname is “Jazz,” dating to his childhood. As he tells it, whenever music came on the radio, he would start dancing. His father pinned the nickname on him, and it stuck to the point where he was called Jazz Hicks in newspaper stories while in high school.
The Mariners used their fourth-round pick in 2011 on Hicks, and he made his MLB debut with them in 2015. Seattle lost him to Detroit on a waiver claim before the 2016 season, and he spent parts of the next four seasons on and off the Tigers’ roster. He was a mainstay in 2018 and 2019, where he met Rangers catching coordinator Bobby Wilson.
How long will Hicks stay on the Rangers’ roster? It could be a short stay. Jose Trevino, who was placed on the injured list Thursday, is already playing catch and is eligible to be reinstated July 9. That’s three games before the All-Star break, so it’s conceivable the Rangers could give Trevino the extra rest for the second half. It’s also possible they don’t and will need to find a roster spot for him.