Brewer Hicklen Hits Historic Marks in 2022 Season
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Kansas City Royals outfield prospect Brewer Hicklen has had an up-and-down few seasons in the team's minor league system. Now, he is joining an elite group of prospects after a breakout 2022 campaign.
On Aug. 28, 2022, Hicklen became just the fourth Royals prospect since 2005 to reach the coveted 20/20/20 mark: at least 20 home runs, 20 stolen bases and 20 doubles. The last prospect to reach those stats was Bobby Witt Jr. in 2021, but an all-time Royals great (Alex Gordon) did it in 2006.
Hicklen also has a 30-game on-base streak, tied for the longest by a Storm Chaser since 2011. Following his MLB debut on May 26, 2022, he has absolutely been on a tear. Storm Chasers broadcaster Jake Eisenberg highlighted the 26-year-old prospect, saying that "[Hicklen] impacts the game every way you can think to impact the game."
Hitting the 20/20/20 mark is remarkable for any prospect, but much more so for Hicklen. In 2021, he was struggling a bit with the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals, pondering his ultimate career outlook. Ultimately, Hicklen didn't need a change of scenery or a mechanical change. His mindset and perspective changed, and so did his on-field performance.
Hicklen had strong August and September performances to close out the 2021 season, even posting a 1.143 OPS in August. He had a scorching seven home runs that month, and that performance clearly carried over to Triple-A Omaha. In 106 games heading into Tuesday's play, Hicklen is slashing .258/.363/.522 with the Strom Chasers and is posting a 132 wRC+ in the process.
Hicklen doesn't appear in Kansas City's top 30 prospects list from MLB Pipeline. In six games with the big-league club earlier this season, the 26-year-old struck out in all four of his plate appearances. With a strong ending to the 2022 season, however, Hicklen will certainly be a player to watch during the 2023 spring training.
