June 28, 2016

Hickman Passes

Former MLB outfielder Jim Hickman died Saturday at the age of 79. My thoughts go out to his family and friends:

Hickman had his best year in 1970 with the Cubs, when he finished with 32 homers and 115 RBIs. He hit a game-ending single in the 12th inning of the All-Star Game that year, sending Pete Rose barreling into catcher Ray Fosse for the winning run.

Hickman posted a .315/.419/.582 slash line that year, well above all his career averages. That was at age 33, and it started an excellent end to his career. He hit .279/.378/.476 during his last five seasons in the majors. I wonder if his approach at the plate benefited from the 1969 lowering of the mound?

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