Marlins April MVP Has Provided Biggest Offensive Shock of Season
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The Miami Marlins' offense has not hit many home runs this season, and hasn't over the last few years, but has found an unexpected power source.
Catcher Liam Hicks has broken out over his first 28 games this season and has shown no signs of slowing down.
After hitting six homers through 119 games last season, he used just 28 games this season to reach the half-dozen mark this year, which leads the team. Hicks isn't just hitting for power, but boasts a .311/.350/.544 slash line this season and leads the Marlins in a plethora of offensive categories.
During his rookie campaign last season, Hicks shared time with Nick Fortes and Agustín Ramírez behind the plate. After Fortes moved on, Hicks finally received his opportunity to play every day, and has taken advantage of it.
Liam Hicks Has Been the Offensive MVP for the Marlins This Season
This year, his second season after being selected during the 2024 Rule 5 Draft, he has split time between catching and DH. Even with Ramírez behind the plate, it's impossible to take Hicks out of the lineup. After his strong start, he was quickly moved to the cleanup role and has stuck.
Last season, he bounced all over the lineup and spent a lot of time in the final three spots of the order. That's because he wasn't the hitter we've seen this season, and never really was. After three full seasons in the minor leagues and his rookie year last season, he's yet to smash more than six homers in a single campaign.
Last year, he drove in 45 RBI and posted a .247/.346/.346 slash line and barely struck out. His 14.4 K rate was in the 87th percentile, along with his 80th percentile walk rate. While the high walk rate has yet to transfer to 2026, the strikeout rate has. He owns an 8% K rate to begin the season, which is in the 99th percentile.
Hicks Can Turn Into a Real MVP if He Continues This Production
Even though he's walked just five times to open the season, that would produce a career low 11% walk rate, which is likely to straighten out before the year ends.
On a team that doesn't have a huge impact bat, Hicks has been the MVP of April and the season thus far, despite high competition from Xavier Edwards. His offense has been the forefront of conversation, but he's been a solid defensive catcher as well.
His 52% win rate on ABS challenges behind the plate has been far behind Ramírez's 71% win rate, but we're still just a month into the season.
Miami is thankful to have Hicks producing at such a high level in the middle of the lineup, and he's much needed. If he keeps it up, he'll hopefully be leading catchers on the All-Star ballot in a couple of months.
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Jeffrey is a sports writer located in Louisville, Kentucky, with a passion for sports, writing, and storytelling. He has hundreds of published articles across various platforms, including Kentucky Today, The Baptist Courier, FanSided, and more. Jeffrey is a senior at Indiana University Southeast pursuing a B.S. in Journalism/Media with a Minor in Writing. He has a beautiful wife, dog, and firstborn child on the way.