Liam Hicks Stats & Scouting Report

AB	292
AVG	.26
OBP	.364
SLG	.353
HR	4

Full name Liam John Sherwood Hicks
Born 06/02/1999 in Toronto, ON, Canada
Profile Ht.: 5'11" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Arkansas State
Drafted in the 9th round (254th overall) by the Texas Rangers in 2021 (signed for $30,000).

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Hicks is a solid analytics pick thanks to excellent production at the plate. He was hitting .400 as late as early May, although he finished the year hitting .344/.464/.568 with seven home runs and more walks (29) than strikeouts (18). Hicks’ arm is a major liability behind the plate. He allowed 27 steals in 31 attempts, turning in 2.1-second pop times with a tendency to bounce his throws. A one-knee catcher, Hicks struggles at times with his receiving as well. At the plate, Hicks has an odd leg kick as he flops his foot towards the pitcher. But he generally gets his foot down on time and has some pull power.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade: 40/High

Track Record: Hicks’ road to pro ball was long and winding. The Canadian-born backstop spent the first two years of this college career at Mineral State (Mo.) JC before transferring to Arkansas State for his junior and senior seasons. The Rangers took him in the ninth round of the 2021 draft and signed him for $30,000. Since then, he’s done nothing but hit. He reached Double-A in 2023, then posted a standout stint in the Arizona Fall League that included the league’s first six-hit game since 2009.

Scouting Report: Hicks’ road to the big leagues will come through the batter’s box, where the lefty hitter has shown outstanding bat-to-ball skills that included above-average rates of whiff and chase. Now, he needs to put some more impact behind his contact. His average and 90th percentile exit velocities were well below-average and he homered just four times while playing home games at two hitter-friendly atmospheres. Defensively, Hicks is a hard worker who will have to continue those efforts to get to even below-average. His arm strength grades as a 40 but plays down because of slow transfers and footwork. He got some time at first base as well. He’d be an adequate defender there but a move would put immense pressure on his bat to develop the power to profile at the position.

The Future: Hicks will spend his 2024 season at the upper levels of the minor leagues. If he can get stronger and produce more power, he could be a backup catcher whose value would come through his offense.

Scouting Grades Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 40 | Field: 40 | Arm: 40

Career Transactions

Erie SeaWolves activated C Liam Hicks.
Detroit Tigers traded C Carson Kelly to Texas Rangers for C Liam Hicks and RHP Tyler Owens.
C Liam Hicks assigned to Erie SeaWolves.
Frisco RoughRiders activated C Liam Hicks.
C Liam Hicks assigned to Frisco RoughRiders from Hickory Crawdads.
C Liam Hicks assigned to Frisco RoughRiders from Hickory Crawdads.
C Liam Hicks roster status changed by Texas Rangers.
C Liam Hicks assigned to Texas Rangers.