Was Aaron Hicks’ embrace with Orioles manager a sign of Yankees problems?
New York Yankees fans understandably might have missed this last week while the team was putting the Houston Astros in their place, but there was something to take note of during the Baltimore Orioles’ Opening Day ceremonies.
Former Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks was in town as a visiting member of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The O’s opted not to re-sign Hicks, who is now getting regular playing time as opposed to having his role threatened by a wave of Baltimore’s top young prospects. Plus, he’s a California guy. The move made sense for many reasons.
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Prior to the start of the Opening Day matchup between the two teams, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde sought out Hicks and gave him a warm embrace. Beautiful stuff. It’s nice to see guys being dudes in this manner.
But Yankees fans (at least some of us) unfortunately couldn’t help but express wariness. Hicks? The same guy who seemingly fully gave up in New York quickly became a favorite of one of the most hard-nosed managers in the game after spending just 65 games under his watch?
Is this a reflection on the Yankees and how they operated/treated Hicks? Was Hicks’ showing in Baltimore just anomaly in terms of performance and personality shift? Or was Hicks in New York just never meant to be?
Was Aaron Hicks’ embrace with Orioles manager a sign of Yankees problems?
Did anyone catch Aaron Boone embracing Hicks when he returned to the Bronx over July 4 weekend? Was that even ever the “vibe” between the two parties? Hicks’ unfortunate Yankees tenure ended in disappointment, but it wasn’t always a disaster.
