Aaron Hicks opens up about boos from fans, insecurity from Cabrera’s performance

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NEW YORK — The Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks committed a baserunning error in Toronto last Wednesday night, which resulted in a hit being denied to rookie Oswaldo Cabrera. Despite that, the last two weeks have probably been his best stretch in the last three or four years. It included impressive stuff, such as his .440 average over the last eight games, his 3-for-3 night in the game before the one he just played, and his throw from left field to second base the night before that ended a rally by the Blue Jays.

However, it was not enough for Aaron Hicks to be included in the Yankees lineup on either Friday or Saturday when they played the Orioles. His struggles have been so severe and have lasted for such a long time that Cabrera is starting in left field as a fill-in for injured regular Andrew Benintendi. This is despite the fact that Cabrera had never played the outfield at any level prior to a few days before he was called up to the big leagues on September 1.

Aaron Hicks had his breakout season in 2018, when he hit.248 with 27 home runs, 79 RBI, 10 steals, 90 walks, and a.467 on-base percentage in 138 games. It seems like a long time ago. People thought that Hicks was one of the best center fielders in the game. In response, the Yankees gave him a $70 million, seven-year contract extension the next spring.

It seems like such a long time ago that Aaron Hicks had his breakout season in 2018, when he hit .248 with 27 home runs, 79 RBI, 10 steals, 90 walks, and a .467 on-base percentage in 138 games. It was widely believed that Aaron Hicks was one of the best center fielders in the game at the time. In response, the Yankees made a long-term commitment to the player the following spring, in the form of a contract extension worth $70 million over seven additional years.

The big gamble that the Yankees took has not yet paid off. From 2019 until 2021, Aaron Hicks struggled mightily with injuries, and even when he did play, his contributions were few and far between. The 2022 campaign was by far his worst ever.

Aaron Hicks told NJ Advance Media that he was setting high goals for himself when he went into spring training last March and felt as healthy as he had in years. His target was “A batting average of .270, 30 home runs, 100 runs batted in, and ‘at least 30 bags.'”

It looks like Aaron Hicks won’t even come close. Through Saturday, the ninth time in the Yankees’ last 16 games that he has been benched, he was hitting .224 with eight home runs, 40 runs batted in, and 10 stolen bases over the course of 125 games.

The worst day for Aaron Hicks was September 9. At Yankee Stadium, fans became angry with him for striking out and meekly grounding. When he made two bad plays in left field with two outs in the fourth inning, loud boos turned into chants of “Jo-ey, Gal-lo.” The Yankees benched Hicks.

That was a terrible night that summed up a poor season for the Yankees, a season that may force them to make a trade involving Aaron Hicks in the offseason. The fact that Hicks is still guaranteed $30.5 million through 2025 makes a change of scenery difficult to accomplish, not to mention the fact that the team has an option for 2026 that is almost surely not going to be exercised.

Aaron Hicks, who is 32 years old, has been frustrated a lot, but he has worked hard to get better and be the best teammate he can be. He has been making progress as of late.

In a Q&A with NJ Advance Media, Aaron Hicks talked about his struggles, how he lost playing time to Cabrera, and other things:

Q: You seem to be better at dealing with the lack of playing time. Cabrera has only played three games in the outfield since his MLB inclusion, but never in left field, where he’s now the starter. You finally get going, but you don’t get many chances to hit. Aaron Boone is always telling how hard you’ve been working. How have you been able to handle this change in your mind?

Aaron Hicks: That’s the only way. You just wait for chances to come up and try to take them. Cabrera is playing well and contributes big to the Yankees’ offense, and I am aware of my performance. So, one must not expect me to be mad at someone coming in and starting off like that. Cabrera is an amazing rookie. He loves sports. I’m happy for Cabrera. He’s a really nice kid and a great baseball player.

Q: Have you helped Cabrera improve his play in the outfield? I’ve heard of veterans who wouldn’t go out of their way to help younger guys fearing that they may lose to their place to them in the starting lineup. It seems that you are different.

Aaron Hicks: I did hang out with Cabrera. We had a conversation in Toronto before his first game in that city. We talked about the field. He wanted to know how the big jumps and corners felt. I told him which way to go and what the ball will look like when it is hit down the line. I think that’s what I should be doing. I’m supposed to show Cabrera how to play left field as well as possible. We want to win, and if he’s going to play left field, I’m the one who has to apprise him about what he can expect in that position because of my experience there. I need to do everything I can to make sure he does well.

Q: When you joined the Yankees in 2016, Brett Gardner and CC Sabathia were there to help you out. The team is now run by Aaron Judge, but you’ve been there longer than most of your teammates. Are you trying to take on more of a leadership role, maybe as one of Judge’s lieutenants?

Aaron Hicks: CC and Gardy taught me a lot. People start to see you as someone who can help more and more as you get older. I enjoy helping young kids coming up. I’ve liked a lot of the kids who have come up through this organization and are now finally getting to play. When Gleyber Torres finally got up, it was fun to watch him play. I liked seeing Miguel Andujar make it to the big leagues and do well. It’s fun to work for a group where the kids who join automatically do well. It’s been great to see.

Q: From the outside, it looks like you’ve grown up a bit in the last year or so. You’re now married and have a few children. You’ve got a good deal. You have been the Yankees’ starting centerfielder. You had some big moments. You saw the hard work and injuries on the other side of things. Have the ups and downs of life helped you grow up?

Aaron Hicks: I’m not sure. I always wanted the best from my teammates, even when I was a rookie with the Twins and fighting for the right field. Always, no matter how much it hurts. I’ve always wanted to help as many players as I can before I leave this game.

Q: Before Joey Gallo was traded, I had a few long talks with him about how hard things were for him. It made me sad to hear him say that the fans made him feel like a piece of garbage. Because the abuse was so bad, he didn’t even leave his New York City apartment. Yankees fans have been hard on you, too. When you had that tough game a couple of weeks ago, they even started chanting “Gallo!” That must have hurt.

Aaron Hicks: It did. You want to do well when you go out there. We make money by making people happy. We are here to make fans happy. Every game, I try to do my best to help the Yankees win, but sometimes things don’t go as planned and you have to move on. I can’t be upset, though, because I know I had a bad season. I’ve had many chances to get into a groove this year, but I haven’t been able to.

Q: You don’t play often, but when you have, you’ve had a lot of good at-bats and some success in the last couple of weeks. Do you feel good at the plate at last?

Aaron Hicks: I feel good. I don’t play much, but when I have, I’ve done pretty well against some tough pitchers. That day, I was hitting in the dark. I worked through it to get a walk, and right after that, Anthony Rizzo hit a home run to win the game. I don’t know what my recent stats are, but I’ve hit two home runs and feel good at the plate.

Q: You did well at the plate even though you missed half the games. How hard is it for a part-time player to find their swing? Plus, you’re a switch-hitter who only gets a few chances to hit, which must make it even harder, right?

Aaron Hicks: Even more so from the left. I’m used to it from the right side. You might not face a lefty for a long time, but when you do, you have to perform.

Q: The playoffs will start soon. Do you think that this frustrating season that hasn’t gone the way you hoped it would can be saved if you do well in the playoffs?

Aaron Hicks: Yeah. When you get to the postseason, little things start to show up that can help you win a game. I feel like small things go unnoticed throughout the year, like when a runner is on second and a guy moves him over. So in the postseason, every at-bat and every pitch matter. I need to make the most of every chance I get.

Do you see Aaron Hicks staying with the Yankees for the next season?

(The interview was originally published on nj.com)

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