The Marlins announced today that catcher/first baseman Liam Hicks has made the Opening Day roster, in the form of a video of manager Clayton McCullough telling the Rule 5 pick that he made the team.
Hicks, 26 in June, was drafted by the Rangers in 2021. However, he was flipped to the Tigers in July as part of the deal that sent catcher Carson Kelly to Texas. But the Tigers left Hicks unprotected in the Rule 5 draft, which allowed the Marlins to nab him.
His minor league track record has pluses and minuses. His defense isn’t considered especially strong, which is why he’s played a bit of first base in addition to his work behind the plate. Offensively, he has strong plate discipline but minimal power. He has stepped to the plate 1,097 times over various minor league levels with just 13 home runs. But his 15.1% walk rate and 13.4% strikeout rate are both excellent numbers. The overall result is a humpbacked slash line of .274/.405/.374, which translates to a 124 wRC+.
He came into camp with a fairly wide open path to a big league job. The Marlins only have two other catchers on their 40-man roster. Nick Fortes has hit just .222/.275/.344 in his career but should get a big league job based on his solid glovework. The other backstop on the roster is Agustín Ramírez. He’s a top 100 prospect with a strong bat but questionable defense, so the Fish presumably want him getting regular reps in Triple-A. He was optioned earlier this week.
Hicks has stepped to the plate 33 times in Grapefruit League action, with his numbers resembling his previous minor league work. He has six walks compared to just five strikeouts. His only extra-base hit is a double, leading to a .208/.424/.250 line.
That’s enough for him to get an Opening Day roster spot. The Marlins will roll with a Fortes/Hicks duo behind the plate. The club isn’t expecting to compete this year, so Hicks should get a decent amount of rope to prove himself. If he struggles, as a Rule 5 pick, he can’t be optioned to the minors this year. If the Marlins want him off the active roster, they would have to put him on waivers before offering him back to the Tigers. Any claiming club would be bound by the same Rule 5 parameters as the Marlins currently are.
Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images
Looks like a good pick up for the Fish. Don’t see many players with that kind of line, especially that high a walk rate. Well, at least he’ll be good at the ABS challenges.
Judging a player by his batting average, especially in just 24 spring training ABs, is missing out on so many factors. I don’t know how Hicks is doing on defense, handling pitchers, etc., but I’m not going to use his spring BA to disparage him.
Ramirez has more upside as a prospect and Fortes has the better catching skills, so seems to me the Fish would be better off with a backup who has elite catching skills and no bat to work with young pitchers. Just my unskilled take.
the better catching skills…
to work with young pitchers …
@Reynaldo
gbs42 has a good point. but if we were going with your trading card view of baseball… maybe the Fish should trade Hicks for that loser that is hitting 0.115 for the Yankees in Spring Training.
That guy, Judge, I think that’s his name, makes more than the entire Marlins team though, that could be a sticking point despite his sorry numbers this Spring.
He could becomes a trade chip midseason, given his on-base skills.
If you trade a Rule 5 pick midseason, Section 31 might intervene.
@MLB Top 100 Commenter
You can still trade Rule 5 guys to other teams, as long as they stay on the MLB roster. If the team tries to send them down, they are obligated to return the player to the original team, even if they were traded.
2017: Brad Keller was traded to the Royals for cash immediately after the Draft in a pre-arranged deal.
mlb.com/news/reds-all-time-rule-5-draft-results
Saying on topic with the Marlins:
2007: Carlos Guevara
Traded to the Padres for cash considerations the day after the Rule 5 Draft, Guevara threw 12 1/3 innings for San Diego in 2008, his lone MLB season.
mlb.com/news/marlins-all-time-rule-5-draft-history
Section 31 is a Star Trek reference
The Marlins are pretty much a dream for a Rule 5 draft guy. They want to play anywhere in the majors.
That’s embarrassing.
Is Hicks multiple people, or did the writer just write “Picks” so it would rhyme with Hicks?
Guys like Hicks and Mervis can get ample opportunity on a team like the Marlins. Could be a fun team to watch, or a painfully brutal one
A pretty good spring so far for Marlins Catchers. Fortes looking like 2nd half Fortes (109 OPS+) from last year.
Joe Mack was smashing the ball around before being sent down to Minor League camp.
The reports coming out of Jupiter suggest satisfaction at the work Hicks and Ramirez are putting in to improve behind the plate.
By mid season 2026 we might be looking at a catching combo of Mack and Ramirez. It will be an interesting sub-plot.
Marlins win more, or less, than CHiSox?