Christian Petersen/Getty Images
By Jon Weisman
Ex-San Francisco infielder Brandon Hicks has become the 21st player to receive a non-roster invitation to the Dodgers’ big-league Spring Training camp.
After missing the first half of the 2015 season with an injury, Hicks had a .308 on-base percentage and slugged .326 for Triple-A Sacramento last year. Robert Avery of the Pasadena (Texas) Citizen recapped the Houston native’s year, which included this highlight.
… On July 23, playing second base against El Paso, Hicks was involved in a play that River Cat officials say was the greatest play of the entire season.
First baseman Adam Duvall attempted to backhand a hard-hit grounder that careened off his glove and sailed into the air. That’s when Hicks entered the picture. He grabbed the ball bare-handed and on the run, spun and fired to first base where pitcher Brett Bochy was waiting, getting the runner by a split second. …
In the Majors, the 30-year-old Hicks most recently played 71 games for the Giants in 2014, with a .280 OBP and .319 slugging in 242 plate appearances. In 340 career MLB trips to the plate, Hicks has a .568 OPS. Of his 45 career hits, 23 have been for extra bases, including 11 home runs. He has played 63 games at second base, 24 at shortstop, nine at third base, two at first base and a couple innings in left field.
As a minor-leaguer, Hicks has 99 career home runs.
[mlbvideo id=”31816421″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]
Hicks hit two doubles in the Giants’ 8-4 victory over the Dodgers on April 4, 2014, helping spoil the 2014 Dodger Stadium home opener. His first double was a blooper that was lost in the sun and landed just beyond the infield dirt between first and second, helping prolong a six-run first inning against Hyun-Jin Ryu. Hicks then hit a booming double to center and scored in a two-run third inning.
Michael Green
You could have had more than one of the Hicks pix.