St. Louis Cardinals: Jordan Hicks in a class by himself for strikeout rate

Spring Training is a great time to see some strange statistics. St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jordan Hicks is in a class by himself for statistical oddities.

Last year, Jordan Hicks was a surprise addition to the St. Louis Cardinals Opening Day roster. The young flamethrower had never pitched above high-A, but made an impression in Spring Training with his 105 MPH fastball. Due to the recommendation of Yadier Molina, Hicks was brought along from Spring Training, a high octane arm for the bullpen.

Yet, despite his incredible velocity, Hicks could not strike anyone out at the beginning of 2018. In his first 20.2 innings, covering 20 appearances, Hicks had 12 walks and only eight strikeouts. From that point, he began trusting his slider more, and the results were remarkable. He ended the year with 70 strikeouts in his 77.1 innings, a more than respectable number for a 21 year old that had never pitched in the upper minors.

With a year of experience under his belt, it is expected that Hicks will dominate in the Cardinals bullpen. He is currently listed as the closer in St. Louis, a spot that he could thrive in. Hicks did notch six saves last season, so he did get his feet wet in that role as a rookie.

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However, if Hicks is going to emerge as the dominant closer he seems capable of becoming, his strikeout rate will need to improve. Thus far in Spring Training, that has not been a problem, as Hicks has posted an unreal 31.5 K/9 rate.

No, that is not a typo. Over his two innings of work, Hicks has seven strikeouts, thanks to a wild pitch. However, none of the nine batters that he has faced thus far have put the ball in play, with Hicks issuing a walk and hitting a batter thus far. Those command issues were a concern last season, as Hicks had a 5.1 BB/9 rate, threw nine wild pitches, and hit eight batters.

That is part of the learning curve for a hard thrower like Hicks. Usually, he would have been able to work on those command issues in the minors, progressing through the Cardinals system. Instead, he is figuring out everything in the moment, learning to trust his stuff and throw strikes while serving in a high pressure role. However, if the early returns from Spring Training mean anything, Hicks is on his way to making those adjustments.

Jordan Hicks has one of the more unique stat lines that one will ever see. The St. Louis Cardinals are hoping that his strikeout rate can remain impressively high this season as he dominates the ninth inning.