Hicks records first six-hit Fall League performance since 2009

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Liam Hicks considers himself a patient hitter, but on Tuesday night in Scottsdale he changed his approach by being more aggressive. It resulted in him achieving something that hasn’t been done in the Arizona Fall League in over 13 years.

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The Rangers catching prospect went 6-for-6 with two RBIs in the Saguaros 17-5 win over the Scorpions at Scottsdale Stadium. It marked the first six-hit performance on the circuit since José Tábata accomplished the feat on Nov. 19, 2009.

He called it one of the best performances in his young career. Five of his six singles came within the first three pitches he saw in his plate appearances.

“I was just trying to be on time for the heater,” Hicks said. “That’s been the main thing. Last game I was kind of late and feeling a little sluggish. I was just trying to be ready for the heater and adjust off that.”

Heading into Tuesday, Hicks was 5-for-16 with three RBIs and three walks. He said squaring off against former teammate Tekoah Roby (STL No. 5), who was traded to the Cardinals as part of the package that sent Chris Stratton and Jordan Montgomery to the Rangers on July 30, added extra motivation.

“I know he is a really good pitcher,” Hicks said. “I knew I really needed to lock in and be ready for his stuff because he is just so nasty.”

Hicks played in High-A and Double-A this season where he posted a .275/.414/.372 slash line. He doesn’t hit for much power -- he hit for four homers and had a .372 slugging percentage -- and he walked 59 times.

It wasn’t an easy path for Hicks to the pros. He played baseball in Canada where he was one of the nation's best catchers, earning him a spot at Mineral Area College, a community college in Park Ridge, Missouri. After hitting .440 with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs, he transferred to Arkansas State University.

He got off to a promising start with the Red Wolves, but his season was cut short in 2020 because of the pandemic. However, instead of being locked inside his house, Hicks and his brother continued to work on the diamond.

“We were doing whatever we could,” Hicks said. “Hitting off the tee, we were just going to the park every day and playing. Just took as many at-bats as we could. [In Canada] everything was kind of shut down there, so we just kind of did what we could together."

It paid off. After his junior season he was drafted by the Rangers in the ninth round of the 2021 MLB Draft.

It wasn’t just his offense that stood out. Fellow Rangers teammate and Saguaros starting pitcher Zak Kent praised him for his ability to call the game.

“We were pretty much locked in from the first pitch,” Kent said. “He's very smart back there. He's reading swings, talking in the dugout and we're getting on the same page. I think the more times we go out there, the better and sharper we're going to be.”

Kent pitched five innings, striking out six and allowed one earned run. He bounced back after allowing two runs on four hits, including a homer, in three frames last week.

“It was just timing,” Kent said of his improvement. “Everything was flying open a little bit. So, just making sure I was staying closed off and going down the mound and just letting the pitches play.”

Eric Brown Jr. (MIL No. 10) went 3-for-5 with four RBIs for the Saguaros. Abimelec Ortiz (TEX No. 14), Jacob Hurtubise (CIN), Nick Loftin (KC No. 5) and Dasan Brown (TOR No. 29) each had two hits for Surprise.