This White Sox Pitcher Is Quietly Transforming the Bullpen
Jordan Hicks has emerged as a dominant late-inning weapon for the White Sox, giving Chicago's bullpen a much clearer path forward.
Video Transcript
The Chicago White Sox needed bullpen help, and one of their pitchers has completely transformed the bullpen.
Sam Phelan here with the White Sox Roundtable to talk about Jordan Hicks, who has been on an absolute heater, and he's making things a lot easier for the White Sox and manager Will Venable.
We saw it on Wednesday night, the White Sox in a rubber match with the Texas Rangers.
They win four to two.
They win the series.
It comes after a four-for-four day from Chase Miedroth, helped the White Sox take the lead.
Anthony Kay battled through five innings of two-run baseball, and then it was the White Sox bullpen taking things from there, slamming the door closed, stealing the show.
Jordan Hicks, Grant Taylor, Brian Hudson, four innings without a single hit or a walk.
Taylor and Hudson, retired the final nine batters in a row, seven strikeouts.
But really gotta give some love to Jordan Hicks because there is no White Sox relief pitcher worthy of praise more than Jordan Hicks right now.
A guy who had promising stretches at the beginning of the season.
From April 12th to May 13th, Hicks made 10 appearances without allowing a run.
But over that same period of time, his whip was over two.
He was getting hit around.
He was walking guys.
He wasn't missing many bats.
And Hicks found a way to work his way out of jams, but he never really made it easy.
He then had a blow-up start against the Cubs.
He landed on the IL with a right lat strain, had a .560 ERA, with 15 strikeouts over his first 17 and two-thirds innings pitched this season.
That trade the White Sox made with the Boston Red Sox seemed like they were eating a bad contract just to bring David Sandlin into the organization.
But after spending a month on the IL, Jordan Hicks has been dominant.
Over his last 10 appearances now for Chicago, ten and two-thirds innings, two hits, two walks, 18 strikeouts without a single run being surrendered.
A perfect 0.00 ERA, a 0.29 FIP, a 0.38 whip.
This version of Jordan Hicks makes the White Sox bullpen legitimately good because you use Hicks with Brian Hudson, who has a 2.08 ERA, with Sean Newcomb, who has a 2.41 ERA, with Grant Taylor, who has a 2.63 ERA and 12.6Ks per nine.
It gives the White Sox four reliable pitchers to protect leads late and if they do make an addition at the upcoming trade deadline, the White Sox could start to flirt with having a legitimately good bullpen.
Add in that to this offense, you're dealing with a team that could really make some noise.
Unintentionally, Jordan Hicks has sort of filled that role that the White Sox hoped Sir Anthony Dominguez would fill before the season.
And while Chicago still doesn't have a solidified closer, Dominguez 12 saves, Taylor five, Hudson four, Newcomb three.
Adding a guy like Jordan Hicks as a reliable right-handed high leverage arm makes the path to a lockdown bullpen very clear for Chicago.
