C Liam Hicks, 9th round (254th overall), Signed $30,000, Texas Rangers
Hometown: Toronto, Ont.
Bats/Throws: L-R
Height/Weight: 5’ 11” 185 lbs.
Scout: Dustin Smith
Slot Money: $161,400
Signed: $30,000
School: Arkansas State University
Coach: Tommy Raffo
Previous Teams: Mineral Area Community College, Toronto Mets, North York Blues and North Toronto A’s.
Previous Coaches: Chris Kemlo, Hyung Cho, Mark Dainty, Andy (Mileage) Stewart, Blake Jones, Chris Dobie and Matthew Lethbridge.
Good genes: Mom (Jennifer Hicks) played some softball growing up and passed on her skills to her son and brother Conor Hicks finished his sophomore season at Mineral Area this spring and is going to Indiana State this fall. (Conor hit .415, with 12 doubles, 17 homers, 56 RBIs and a .974 OPS),
Private workouts: Has had “a few,” workouts for teams in the past month, including at Busch Stadium for the St. Louis Cardinals and has one more scheduled before the draft.
On other lists: 23rd on D1 analytics Top 100 draft-eligible hitters ... Baseball America’s 12th prospect on top 15 prospects in state of Arkansas … 41st D1 analytics Top 100 draft-eligible hitters (June 17) Overall Score (50-100): 87.52, Plate Discipline: 88.48, Hit Ability: 83.29, Game Power: 79.90 ... Rated as a high follow by Perfect Game in 2017.
Twitter handle: @liamhicks28
Most influential person in his baseball life: “My grandfather, George Sherwood, because I know he is my biggest fan. He would drive me to games and practices all the time. He’d always come watch games. He’d love it when my brother and I would play whiffle ball at our cottage (Bala in Muskoka) which we would do all day when we were there.
2021 season as a red-shirt junior at Arkansas State _ Led A-State with a .344 batting average to go with 11 doubles, seven homers and 30 RBIs ... Had a .548 slugging percentage to go with a with a .464 on-base percentage (28 walks and nine HBPs) for a 1.002 OPS … Had 54 hits and 36 runs scored and was among the best in the league and nationally at getting on base while striking out a team-low 18 times … One of the best in the Sun Belt Conference throughout the season, despite missing eight games due to injury … Reached base in all but two games on the season … Opened with a double and solo homer against Ole Miss ... Had a base hit and drove in a run against UT Martin ... Had two hits with a double and an RBI against Murray State ... Had four hits in three-game series against Abilene Christian ... Managed six-hit effort against Illinois State with three RBIs ... Had seven hit against Little Rock with two doubles, a homer and four RBIs ... Facing the Louisiana at Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns he had three hits with a double and an RBI ... He singled against Mississippi State ... Next he had a pair of hits facing UT Arlington ... Against Central Arkansas he doubled, singled and knocked in a run ... Had two hits and two RBIs in three-game set against Texas State ... Seven knocks, including a double and two homers with five RBIs at Austin Peay ... Went 4-for-6 with two doubles, a homer and three RBIs against Ole Miss ... Three hits with an RBI against Georgia Southern ... Singled against Arkansas ... Two hits with an RBI double playing Troy ... Had a double and a homer in three-game series against Louisiana-Monroe ... Two-run homer playing Troy ... Singled playing UT Arlington.
2020 season as a junior at Arkansas State _ Hit .327 with three doubles, a triple and four home runs ... Led teams in both slugging percentage (.636), on-base percentage (.526) for 1.162 OPS ... Started all 16 games in the COVID-19 shortened season, … Drew 18 walks, which led the Sun Belt Conference and ranked ninth in the NCAA … Three hits, including two homers along with three RBIs against Stephen F. Austin ... Four hits, including a double, facing New Orleans ... Five hits, including two doubles and a triple, against Mississippi Valley State with three RBIs ... Had three hits -- two of them homers knocking in three runs ... Collected two hits against Southeast Missouri ... Two hits with an RBI in two-game series against Gardner-Webb.
2019 season as a sophomore at Mineral Area College _ Hit .440 with 14 home runs, 56 RBIs and 59 runs scored and ranked sixth in the nation in on-base percentage (.567).
2018 season as a freshman at Mineral Area College _ Batted .370 with 10 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 31 RBIs.
Honours: 2021 season _ Placed on Buster Posey Award Watch List ... Finished third in the Sun Coast batting race ... 2020 season _ Named to Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian Second Team ... 2019 season _ Earned Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian First Team honours.
Scouting reports
Perfect Game
Sun Coast Conference
Arkansas State _ The Red Wolves haven’t won 30 games in a season since 2014, but the roster they return looks to be one of their better rosters in recent memory. Their offense is laden with returning experience and it starts with Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) and Tyler Duncan (Sooke, BC). Hicks is an excellent pure hitter who should set the table in the leadoff spot with surprising power, while Duncan has a lot of power and has double-digit home run potential.
Perfect Game
Liam Hicks, c, Mineral Area CC – Catcher Liam Hicks is a solid overall athlete with good quickness and speed for the position, showing the ability to both steal a base and runs from first to third well. A lefthanded hitter at 6-foot, 195-pounds, he has a solid, athletic frame, employing an open stance while squaring up the ball regularly for hard contact. Hicks can get a little over-aggressive at times, but does show intriguing power potential to his pull side. Defensively he has a quick release with average arm strength and the ability to both receive and block well.
Region 8 Sports: Coach Tommy Raffo on Liam Hicks
Caleb Garner: Hicks named to Buster Posey Watch List