WASHINGTON SIGNS RIGHTY AND FORMER MINNESOTA TWINS FARMHAND JACKSON HICKS
WASHINGTON, PA – The Wild Things have signed former Minnesota Twins farmhand and right-handed pitcher Jackson Hicks, who will get his first dip into independent baseball with the Wild Things in 2025.
Hicks, a 27-year-old right hander, played three seasons in the Twins organization but missed all of 2024 after undergoing a UCL repair. In three total seasons, he was 11-6 in the minors with a 4.26 ERA in 83 games (two starts). He finished 33 games and had four saves, working a total of 122.2 innings. In that work he struck out 149 batters and walked 47 against 123 hits.
The Chapel Hill, North Carolina native split his last playing season (2023) between Cedar Rapids (High-A) and Fort Myers (Class A). In 36 games for Fort Myers, he was 6-1 with a 3.22 ERA in 36 games and 50.1 innings. He struck out 65 and walked 19 before finishing the campaign with Cedar Rapids, where he made five appearances and struck out 10 in seven frames.
He pitched for Fort Myers for the entirety of the 2022 season, logging 36 appearances from the pen to sport a 5-3 record with a 2.98 ERA. In 51.1 innings, he struck out 58 and walked 22. In 2021, Hicks made one appearance for Fort Myers and five for the FCL Twins (Rookie Ball) after signing out of the United Shore Professional Baseball League. With Westside in the USPBL, he was 3-1 with a 2.16 ERA in seven games, all of which were starts. He worked 33.1 innings, struck out 43 and walked only 15 with 21 hits against.
On announcement of the signing from the USPBL, he was one of four players to head to the Twins organization from the USPBL. One of the others was Malik Barrington, who was in Washington’s rotation in 2024 after a stint in the Twins system. Barrington has since retired from the game.
Hicks will make his return to the mound from Tommy John surgery when he reports to camp for the Wild Things. He played club ball at UNC and his high school days were spent at East Chapel Hill High School.
The Wild Things open their season on the road Friday, May 9, and the home opener, presented by EQT and at EQT Park, is scheduled for Tuesday, May 13 at 7:05 p.m. Season tickets, group packages and premium areas are available now by calling 866-456-WILD or by going to washingtonwildthings.com. Fans can also follow the team’s social media pages and site for news, including on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok and YouTube. Search @WashWildThings, go to youtube.com/@WashWildThings or go to facebook.com/washingtonwildthings.
