"The real Ohtani replacement" - Angels fans troll two-way star as Aaron Hicks launches home run against Marlins
Aaron Hicks entered his 12th season in the big leagues this year, but his first with the Los Angeles Angels. Over the winter, he agreed to a one-year deal with the club after making some noise with the Baltimore Orioles.
Hicks saw himself batting second on Tuesday in the club's matchup with the Miami Marlins. Facing off against Jesus Luzardo, Hicks got his pitch and drove it over the fence for his first homer of the season.
In his next at-bat, Hicks hit an RBI single to center field that scored Zach Neto, giving the Halos an early 2-0 in Miami. He is certainly putting on for his new organization.
While he is not Shohei Ohtani, he is doing his best to take the fans' minds off the two-way phenom to the Los Angeles Dodgers this winter. Ohtani has yet to hit a homer early into the season.
"The real Ohtani replacement" one fan posted.
"Great to see someone other than Mike Trout hitting dingers for the Angels" antoher fan posted.
Ahead of the game on Tuesday, Hicks had not yet found his groove, going hitless in four games. Hopefully, after this game, those struggles will stay behind him, and he can become a force to be reckoned with.
Aaron Hicks is looking to make his mark in a crowded Angels outfield
When Aaron Hicks reached his deal with the Los Angeles Angels, it was a bit of a headscratcher. The team already had a pretty good group of outfielders, including Mike Trout, Mickey Moniak, Taylor Ward, and Jo Adell.
Hicks knew what he was getting himself into and vowed that he would do his best to become an everyday player this season. That is not out of the realm of possibilities, given what he did with the Orioles last season.
After struggling with the New York Yankees and getting DFA'd, Hicks hit .275/.381/.425 with seven home runs and 31 RBIs through 65 games with Baltimore. This was a far better production than he gave the Yanks in 2022 when he only muscled eight home runs in 130 games.
Until somebody in this outfield group separates himself from the rest, it may be a revolving door in the outfield. Trout is expected to be used as the team's designated hitter once a week to try and keep him healthy throughout the year.