By optimizing his pull power and situational approach, Miami’s catcher has surged to the top of the MLB leaderboards, joining franchise legends with a historic RBI pace.
Miami Marlins catcher/designated hitter Liam Hicks may be the next Dan Uggla.
Hicks, who came to Miami via the Rule 5 Draft in 2024, reached the 38-RBI milestone the night before May 13 after driving in three runs in a 9-5 win over the Minnesota Twins.
The reason it stands as a milestone is that with his 38 RBI, Hicks joined Giancarlo Stanton (2015), Preston Wilson (2000), and Moises Alou (1997) as the only players in Marlins franchise history to record at least 38 RBI through the first 40 games of a season.
Hicks, in his second season with the Marlins, is one of the surprising offensive bright spots in the lineup. Well, surprising to some, but not himself.
“I knew that I had the contact ability and I knew I could hit home runs, but a lot of my outs were,” Hicks said on the Baseball BAR-B-CAST. “I was hitting fly balls to center field and like I don't have the power that I'm going to be able to get a ball out to center and then you see guys like Paredes, Bregman, some other guys like that that might not have the most power, but they're optimizing it by being able to pull the ball in the air. So I spent a lot of my off-season trying to pull the ball in the air better.”
Hicks’ ability to drive in runs has become not only one of Miami's biggest surprises, but one of baseball’s most unexpected run producers. Hicks’ 38 RBI leads Major League Baseball, placing him just ahead of Matt Olson of the Atlanta Braves (37) and CJ Abrams of the Washington Nationals (36).
Hicks, being a catcher, makes his production even more impressive. Catchers rarely led the league in RBI because of the position's physical demands and fewer plate appearances compared to everyday players.
“The Marlins kind of had to really get through to me was, you don't need to punch a fastball on the outer corner in an O-O count the other way for a single. You can take that ball," Hicks said. “If you get that with two strikes, you can do that, but wait for something in your hot zone or whatever you want to call it that you can actually do some damage to.”
Hicks has taken that approach at the plate and used it to become not only one of the Marlins’ most dependable bats, but also one of the top-hitting catchers in all of baseball. This season, among MLB catchers, Hicks ranks second in batting average (.295), fourth in on-base percentage (.358), and second in slugging percentage (.523). What makes Hicks' numbers stand out even more is that he is doing it while ranking just eighth in total at-bats with 132.
Hicks' emergence is even more surprising considering how he arrived in Miami. Hicks was selected second overall in the Rule 5 Draft coming over from the Detroit Tigers. Rule 5 picks are typically viewed as depth additions or developmental projects over time rather than players expected to contribute immediately, as Hicks has.
The 26-year-old may have entered professional baseball with no fanfare and little to no expectations. But Hicks seized the opportunity he was given and is using his early success to change the narrative around his career. Hicks was an overlooked prospect; now he is in the conversation as part of the Miami emerging young core. His rise, alongside Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards, is helping bring a brighter spotlight to Miami’s developing roster.
The Toronto-born Canadian native was never considered an elite baseball prospect, but Hicks is proving that you don’t have to be an elite prospect to be productive. Hicks has taken full advantage of the early opportunity he was given and has quickly developed into one of the most dependable pieces in Miami's lineup. His early success has taken him from just a hopeful contributor to what could be one of Miami’s most important young offensive pieces and a player manager Clayton McCullough can ill afford to remove from the lineup.
41 games into the season, and Hicks is beginning to show that he may be more than just a hot bat in the lineup. What he may actually be is a key piece of its puzzle. One capable of playing a significant role in helping the Marlins return to playoff contention.
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