Jordan McKinley Hicks (born September 6, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Cardinals selected Hicks in the third round of the 2015 MLB draft, and he made his MLB debut with them in 2018. The Cardinals traded him to the Blue Jays in 2023. Hicks is one of the hardest throwers in the major leagues, having been measured as throwing as hard as .
Amateur career
Hicks attended Klein Oak High School in Klein, Texas, before transferring to Cypress Creek High School in Houston, Texas, for his senior year. He signed with Tulane University to play college baseball.
Professional career
Minor leagues
The St. Louis Cardinals selected Hicks in the third round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft out of Cypress Creek High School, and he signed with them for $600,000, forgoing his commitment to Tulane. He made his professional debut in 2016 with the Johnson City Cardinals of the Rookie Appalachian League and was promoted to the State College Spikes of the Class A Short Season New York–Penn League during the season. In 12 starts between the two teams, he was 6–2 with a 2.97 ERA.
Hicks started the 2017 season with the Peoria Chiefs of the Class A Midwest League, where he was named to the Midwest League All-Star game. He was promoted to the Palm Beach Cardinals of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League in July, with whom he was 0–1 with one save and a 1.00 ERA, and 32 strikeouts in 27 innings. Hicks finished 2017 with a combined 8–3 record and a 2.74 ERA in 22 games (19 starts) between the two clubs. After the season, the Cardinals assigned Hicks to the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League (AFL), where he was selected to the Fall Stars Game. He finished the AFL season with nine appearances, an 0–2 record, and a 6.32 ERA and 16 strikeouts over innings, along with hitting up to .
St. Louis Cardinals
2018–2020
Hicks was a non-roster invitee to 2018 spring training. He made St. Louis' Opening Day roster despite not having ever pitched above Class A-Advanced. He made his major league debut against the New York Mets and produced the highest average fastball velocity of the day at . He pitched one scoreless inning in which he earned his first strikeout against Jay Bruce. On April 21, Hicks earned his first major league win when he pitched the final innings—all scoreless—versus the Cincinnati Reds to help seal a 4–3 victory.
On May 20, Hicks threw the fastest pitch in MLB history, at . He shares this record with Aroldis Chapman. His four-seam fastball and sinker had the second- and third-highest average speeds of any MLB pitcher's pitches in 2018, at and . He continued to garner attention throughout the season as one of the hardest throwing pitchers in MLB. Hicks finished his 2018 rookie campaign with a 3–4 record with six saves, a 3.59 ERA, and a 1.34 WHIP, striking out 70 batters in relief innings.
Hicks began the 2019 season as St. Louis' closer. On June 22, 2019, Hicks was removed from a game with elbow irritation and discomfort, and was originally diagnosed with triceps tendinitis. On June 24, it was revealed he had a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. On June 25, 2019, Hicks opted to have Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, putting him out for the rest of the 2019. He officially underwent the surgery on June 26. For the 2019 season, Hicks compiled a 2–2 record with 14 saves and a 3.14 ERA, striking out 31 batters in innings.
In 2019, his four-seam fastball was on average the fastest in major league baseball, at . His average pitch velocity was the highest in MLB, at . He threw the fastest pitch of the season, at .
On July 13, 2020, Hicks, who has Type 1 diabetes, announced he would be skipping the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021–2023
On March 14, 2021, Hicks was involved in a 22-pitch at-bat during a spring training game against the New York Mets. Mets shortstop Luis Guillorme fouled off 16 pitches before ultimately drawing a walk. This is, to date, the longest at-bat in terms of number of pitches in Major League History.
In early May, Hicks was placed on the injured list due to inflammation in his right elbow. On May 14, Hicks was transferred to the 60-day injured list. He made two rehab starts, but did not make an appearance for the Cardinals for the rest of the season. He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Glendale Desert Dogs after the season.