There's still a lot of baseball left to play in Florida, but Aaron Hicks can lock down the starting center field job as long as he doesn't go into a major tailspin.
And a tailspin is always possible with young players. You never know how they are going to react when the look around the final week of camp and realize that they might be headed north with the team.
Hicks, however, is showing no signs of tailing off. He's hitting, showing some power and playing fairly well in center field. He's made two known bad plays in the field, which shouldn't be enough to lose a job.
Meanwhile, Joe Benson struck out four times and dropped a fly ball in the other split-squad game. And Darin Mastroianni has missed a week with sore hamstring.
Thursday could be remembered as the day Hicks made the team, but a lot can happen between now and Opening Day.
Hicks, by the way, has hit 34 home runs in five minor league seasons, 13 last season at Class AA New Britain. He's been considered a player who could develop power as he gains experience. I wouldn't start putting 20-25 homers next to his name - but he definitely has filled out over the last couple years and he's more confident in his left-handed swing.
