Final week, the San Francisco Giants reportedly agreed to phrases with right-hander Jordan Hicks on a four-year pact price $44 million. The Giants haven’t but confirmed both the signing or probably the most shocking side of the reported deal: the assertion that Hicks will report back to camp as a beginning pitcher.

Hicks, 27, has predominantly pitched in aid throughout his big-league profession. Simply eight of his 212 appearances got here in a beginning capability. All eight of these have been contained to the 2022 season, and none extra not too long ago than that July.

As a result of that is the Farhan Zaidi-led Giants, it is honest to marvel in the event that they view Hicks as a beginning pitcher in probably the most literal sense — that’s, because the pitcher who begins the sport … with no consideration for the way lengthy they continue to be in it afterward. The Giants have a historical past of this kind of factor. In 2023, they handed 23 begins to Ryan Walker and John Brebbia. Neither averaged greater than 1.6 innings per, making them one thing extra like openers than true starters.

The humorous factor is that, even when the Giants do consider Hicks as a nominal starter, it will characterize an uptick in his workload. He averaged three outs per look final season, and recorded 4 or extra outs in simply 10 of his 65 general appearances. For reference, Hicks tallied at the very least 4 outs in 16 of his 35 appearances through the 2022 season. Both manner, then, the Giants are anticipating getting extra size from him than he supplied final yr.

So, what precisely are the Giants seeing right here? Under, we have recognized three causes the Giants may be optimistic about Hicks heading ahead.

1. An expanded arsenal

If you envision a Hicks look, you most likely image him chucking 100 mph sinkers and mixing within the occasional slider. There’s some reality to that conception, however we really feel obligated to notice that he modified just a little in 2023.

To make certain, Hicks nonetheless threw his red-hot sinker greater than 60% of the time. However he discovered it in him to set a brand new career-high in four-seam utilization fee, at 10.7%. He additionally altered his secondaries, parking his conventional slider and changeup in-season in favor of a brand new sweeper that proved to be his greatest bat misser.

Here is a breakdown of how these pitches fared in just a few notable areas:

Heading into the brand new season, it is affordable to anticipate Hicks to proceed to lean on these three choices. On no account is that this your customary starter’s arsenal, however it’s a broader one than Hicks is accustomed to having readily available. In principle, that ought to permit him the flexibility to supply extra appears to be like to the opposition, thereby extending his effectiveness just a little deeper into his outings.

Is that alone sufficient for Hicks to reliably work three-plus frames? Most likely not. He did make good points in different areas that would bolster his possibilities.

2. Improved management

Together with the adjustments Hicks made to his repertoire, he additionally showcased higher command than he had at another level in his big-league profession.

Thoughts you, Hicks nonetheless walked greater than 11% of the batters he confronted, a share that will have ranked third-highest amongst qualifiers, superior solely to Blake Snell and Charlie Morton. That mark represented the second lowest of his profession, behind the ten% he posted he managed throughout an injury-shortened 2019 marketing campaign. (He threw 28 innings that yr.)

We nonetheless really feel comfy describing Hicks’ geography as being improved. Check out how a few of his management indicators stack up, together with his share of pitches within the zone and people categorised as being in aggressive places. 

Once more, Hicks hasn’t changed into a command-and-control artist. He isn’t Greg Maddux and he by no means will likely be. He did throw the very best fee of strikes and aggressive pitches of his profession, nevertheless, and he coerced batters to swing exterior of the zone extra ceaselessly than they’d lately. Taken collectively, these are notable developments for a pitcher who has lengthy damage themselves with sloppy geography — even when, we really feel obligated to notice, he nonetheless falls beneath the league-average threshold in a few of these classes. 

Is Hicks’ mixture of higher management over a deeper arsenal sufficient for us to completely purchase into his beginning try? Hardly. However we predict there’s one other dynamic to consider right here.

3. There’s all the time Plan B

The No. 1 critique CBS Sports activities has heard from different entrance workplaces in regards to the Hicks deal hasn’t involved the position however, relatively, the size of the contract. 

We’re not going to spend time worrying about that side — this column is about actively looking for out the positives — however we carry this up as a result of it makes a helpful level: the Giants wouldn’t have to be married to Hicks beginning.

In different phrases, the Giants can permit Hicks to compete for a rotation spot within the spring, see the way it goes, and relegate him to the bullpen if they don’t deem him to be amongst their 5 greatest starters. That sort of experimentation occurs on a regular basis in camps — heck, the Atlanta Braves are doing the identical factor with Reynaldo López. There’s nothing unsuitable with it or dishonest about it, supplied the Giants didn’t make guarantees to Hicks past giving him a good shake as a starter through the preseason portion of the yr. Ought to that come to fruition, then a whole lot of the eyebrow elevating may have been for nothing.

Give it some thought this fashion. The Giants may have signed Hicks to the identical contract as a pure reliever and it will’ve made sense. Certain, it nonetheless would’ve been the longest deal handed to a free agent bullpen arm this offseason, however the Giants have proven they’re just a little determined to land expertise and generally which means tacking on yet another yr to get a deal accomplished. Hicks’ common annual wage ($11 million) matches in with these gained by López and Craig Kimbrel.

Piece all of it collectively, and we’re not bought that Hicks goes to make it as a beginning pitcher regardless of what seems to be some real enhancements. We’re additionally undecided that the Giants predict him to — they’re simply keen to maintain an open thoughts as a result of there is no hurt to find out for certain.