Liam Hicks
- Tampa Bay’s roster as it stands starts at C · 487 PA · 3.2 WAR in the role
- Injured list 2026: Low back strain (Jun 21–Jun 30)
- Trade read Available at a price: TB 36% playoff odds; control through 2030.
Hitting · 2026 percentiles
vs. MLB hitters with 300+ PA · 551 PA
Platoon splits · swing path
By pitcher handedness
| vs | PA | wOBA | xwOBA | K% | BB% | Chase | Decisions | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LHP | 119 | .240 | .245 | 14% | 8% | 32% | −1.02 | −1.71 |
| RHP | 432 | .394 | .339 | 9% | 10% | 25% | −0.01 | +0.27 |
- Attack angle
- 7.5° (49% in 5–20°)
- Attack direction
- −6.3°
- Swing length
- 6.8 ft
- Fast-swing rate
- 4%
- Pull-air %
- 21.1%
- Hard-hit %
- 27.2%
- Slash · wRC+
- .284/.367/.434 · 123
Zone map · 2026
Where he does damage, and where to pitch him
Does the most damage down and in (+3.3 vs. league per 100; 1.5 standard errors on 74 pitches, inside the noise for the best of nine cells).
Weakest up and away (−2.7), but only 1.3 standard errors from average on 109 pitches: no in-zone spot to attack yet.
Runs per 100 pitches vs. an average LHB: better · worse. Catcher’s view · 1,845 pitches · faded cells are within one standard error of average. A spot is called only when it is farther from average than the best or worst of nine average cells gets 95% of the time (set from the league’s own pitches: about 3 standard errors above, 2 below).
Most similar hitters
Swings like Hicks: bat path, contact quality and approach
| Similarity | Player | xwOBA | ’26 WAR | ’27 proj | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | Nolan Schanuel LAA · ’02 | .335 | 1.7 | 1.4 | Arb |
| 56 | Sal Frelick MIL · ’00 | .291 | −0.5 | 1.2 | Arb |
| 54 | Nick Loftin KC · ’98 | .296 | 1.3 | 0.7 | Pre-arb |
| 48 | Myles Straw TOR · ’94 | .297 | 0.7 | 1.0 | Club option $8.0M |
| 48 | Spencer Horwitz PIT · ’97 | .310 | 0.1 | 0.9 | Arb |
Nearest neighbours on bat speed, swing length, attack angle, squared-up and blast rates, EV90, barrels, pull-air, chase, zone contact, K% and BB%. 2026 regulars only.
Fielding
2027 rating at every position he can play · OAA by position · range by direction · tools. Same engine as the Fielding Lab and the Winter Plan.
| Season | Pos | OAA | Range | Arm, DP | Runs | Batters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1B | +2 | +1 | −0.4 | +0.6 | 807 |
| 2025 | 1B | +1 | 0 | +0.5 | +0.5 | 868 |
Runs = range plus his arm and double-play runs spread over his positions by outs (Fielding Run Value, from 2023): what the rating counts.
| Season | Zone | Balls | Outs vs. exp. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1B | 54 | −2.2 |
| 2025 | 1B | 51 | −2.2 |
The zone rating counts every ball hit to his part of the field while he played there, his club’s positioning included; Savant OAA uses his actual starting spot and is the better individual grade. They agree best in the outfield. See the model card.
Contract & projection
Club control (RosterResource) · Keystone projected WAR
* projected arbitration or minimum salary. Contract Studio →
ABS challenges · 2026
Baseball Savant