Since returning from the injured list, Jordan Hicks has emerged as a weapon out of the White Sox bullpen.
That success has been a sharp reversal for the 29-year-old right-hander, who spent the start of the season doing what he has done for much of his career, piling up walks while posting an ERA north of 4.00.
When Chris Getz acquired Jordan Hicks in an offseason trade, it was largely because of the Boston Red Sox desire to dump salary. As part of the agreement, Boston sent $8 million to Chicago, leaving the White Sox responsible for the remaining $16 million over the final two years of Hicks’ contract. But the deal also netted right-hander David Sandlin, who was considered the prize of the trade, leaving Hicks as an afterthought.
After struggling to establish himself as a starter in San Francisco, Hicks was moved back to the bullpen before being traded to Boston. But a change of scenery offered little relief. After the trade, his 6.47 ERA ballooned to an 8.20 mark in his final 20 appearances last season.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
But for a White Sox team that lacked established veteran relievers, Hicks was a worthwhile gamble. Most of his major league success had come out of the bullpen, particularly during the early years of his career with the Cardinals.
Even amid his recent struggles, the raw talent was still evident. Hicks possessed one of the hardest fastballs in baseball, averaging 97 mph, and had generated ground balls at a 56.8% clip over his eight-year career.
Now that raw talent is starting to bear fruit. Before landing on the shelf with a right lat strain on May 20th, Hicks owned a brutal 5.60 ERA and 2.09 WHIP across 17.2 innings. Since returning to the major league roster on June 21, he has been nearly untouchable, firing seven scoreless innings.
This included 1.1 scoreless innings in a June 28 appearance against the Royals where he recorded a pair of punchouts, striking out the side against the Cleveland Guardians on July 3, and 1.2 shutout innings against the Red Sox on Thursday, where he tacked on an additional two strikeouts.
Over his last seven appearances, Hicks has struck out 12 batters while allowing just three hits and one walk. The improved command has been especially encouraging for a pitcher whose biggest obstacle throughout his career has been limiting free passes, as evident by a 16.8% walk rate this season.
Whether this is merely a hot streak or the beginning of a true turnaround remains to be seen, but Hicks has shown tangible signs that he can become a reliable bullpen piece moving forward.
For starters, his velocity is up this season, with his 98 mph fastball ranking in the top three percent in baseball. He is also still generating ground balls at a 54% clip, which is particularly useful in a hitter-friendly ballpark like Rate Field.
Opposing hitters are also struggling to square him up. If Hicks had enough innings to qualify, he would currently rank near the top of the MLB in opponent barrel percentage and hard-hit rate.
Getz told MLB.com during the offseason that the White Sox believed Hicks still had the raw stuff to become an effective reliever again, based on the club’s scouting evaluations and pitch data. He added that the organization also saw opportunities to make a few tweaks to Hicks’ arsenal.
Those adjustments have included scrapping his slider and reducing his pitch mix to a four-seam fastball, split-finger, sweeper and sinker.
Another adjustment has been lowering his arm angle to 33 degrees, the lowest arm slot Hicks has used since 2024, when it dropped to 29 degrees. A lower arm slot can create more movement on pitches and add deception.
However, Hicks’ best results have not always come from a lower slot. In 2023, when his arm angle was at 40 degrees, he arguably enjoyed the second-best season of his career, posting a 3.29 ERA and averaging 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings, both the second-best marks of his eight-year career. The following season, after lowering his arm slot significantly to 29 degrees while transitioning into the starting rotation, Hicks posted a 4.10 ERA and missed 52 games with an injury.
He moved back up to 35 degrees last season and now appears to have found a sweet spot at 33 degrees, continuing to refine a delivery that has helped him rediscover his effectiveness out of the bullpen.
The White Sox may still look to strengthen the back end of their bullpen before the trade deadline, but Hicks has already begun to carve out a role as a reliable weapon, something that seemed far from certain when he arrived in Chicago.
