FORT MYERS, FLA. – We probably haven't seen the last of Aaron Hicks, but the Twins' expectations have fallen so far for the 14th overall pick from 2008 that his future could end up as a fourth outfielder.
And that's if he can work his way back to the majors.
Hicks, 25, will start the season at Class AAA Rochester after an unimpressive spring training during which he failed to be a threat at the plate, forgot how many outs there were in a game and missed a catchable fly ball in center.
How did the Twins and Hicks arrive at this point? Mistakes were made. On both sides. The Twins misevaluated his major league readiness and Hicks didn't handle failure well and didn't take full responsibility for his hand in his demise.
The 2012 winter meetings in Nashville buzzed when word of the Twins nearing a deal with Philadelphia for Ben Revere — one week after Denard Span was traded to Washington. Hicks was coming off a season at Class AA New Britain in which he batted. 286 with 13 homers, 61 RBI, 79 walks and 116 strikeouts. Not a bad season for Class AA, but not a standout year, either. Yet the Twins sent out signals that night that they felt Hicks was ready.
They were wrong.
Hicks did have a strong spring in 2013, including a three-homer game against the Phillies. But the regular season was a different story, as he batted .192 over 81 games, staying in the majors much longer than he deserved. His play screamed for a demotion, but the Twins kept him in the majors — save for a rehab stint in Rochester — until Aug. 1. They tried delivering a wakeup call, not calling Hicks up for September when the major league roster expanded.
When Hicks began to flounder that year, the Twins should have come up with alternatives, even if someone like Scott Podsednik had to delay retirement for a year.