Brooklyn State of Mind: Robins Promote Young Prospect (2044.5)

[lordtoffee]

The Brooklyn Robins have been in contention during the early part of the season in large part due to the success of their bullpen. The unit has been improved compared to last year, and GM Ben Heuring has been very pleased with the work he has seen in the late innings. "When I was sitting down with both the front office and the coaching team here in Brooklyn last winter, the bullpen was the area we invested in a bit. It was my belief that if the team got more production out of the late inning guys, that we could be in position to battle for a playoff berth and stay in the mix for the division. So far, the bullpen has improved, and we were able to turn our attention to the offense and invest some resources there."

Yes, the bullpen has looked impressive. And a sudden retirement has given the Robins a chance to bring up a prospect that Heuring has reportedly been eager to see how he reacts to the BBA. The newest relief pitcher in Brooklyn is 22 year old Jared Hicks. Hicks was drafted out of high school by the Boise Spuds, and was acquired by the Robins in 2041. Hicks has a plus fastball, and a good curveball and has been in a variety of roles in the minors. He closed games in A ball, and has had a great start to the season in AAA San Francisco, sporting a 1.02 ERA and notching a couple of saves. He has had injury problems in the minors, but Heuring is confident that Hicks can stay healthy and contribute.

"Jared quite honestly has done just about everything in the minors that he has been asked. I like that he has some stamina, I like that he pitched well for Twin Falls as the closer, and I like how well he pitched out in San Francisco. When I was looking to fill the roster spot, I talked with our coaching staff out there, and they indicated that Jared was pitching well enough to deserve the promotion."

In other news, the Robins would like to congratulate Francisco Flores on winning the Johnson Player of the Week as was announced by the BBA last week. Flores hit 3 dingers and drove in 8 runs, as well as continuing to do a great job with the pitching staff.

Heuring said "I was glad to see Francisco get recognized by the league office for his recent play. He certainly has continued to show why the team invested a lot in him, and for my money is a key reason for the hot start by the team."