Liam Hicks didn’t need long in Tampa Bay to show why the Rays wanted him. He opened his run with the club by crushing a grand slam in his first game, and the Rays rode that spark into a nine-game winning streak to start his tenure.
But the part of the move that mattered most to Hicks wasn’t the bat. It was the chance to get back where he feels he belongs: behind the plate.
On This Week in Rays Baseball, Hicks explained that his role in Miami had been drifting away from catching.
"My role in Miami had kind of been shrinking behind the plate," Hicks said. "You know I was DHing a lot, getting to catch maybe once, once or twice a week."
He had also picked up on the trade buzz before the deadline, which made the waiting game a little tense.
"My agent had told me that there might be a possibility," Hicks said. "So, you know, yeah, I was a little stressed out during the day, just kind of waiting, ready for it to be over."
When the deal finally sent him to Tampa Bay, Hicks landed in a spot that offered exactly what he’d been wanting: a more regular catching role. He said plainly what the position means to him.
"That's the position I like to play," Hicks said. "You know that's what I want, I enjoy doing the most."
That opportunity comes with a steep learning curve, though. A catcher changing teams midseason has to get up to speed fast, and Hicks was walking into a Rays staff that includes multiple all-stars in the rotation.
"Definitely a little tough," Hicks said. "You know, that was definitely something I was thinking would be difficult when I first got traded, you know, learning all the staff, trying to get caught up with that."
He credited the Rays’ staff and former Marlins teammate Nick Fortes for making the adjustment easier.
For Hicks, catching is about much more than receiving pitches and swinging the bat. He sees it as a job that requires constant work with the pitchers and a firm grip on the game plan.
"I think you gotta know the pitchers really well. You gotta pour into them," Hicks said.
That mindset also means putting his own offense out of sight once the game starts.
"You come back in between innings, you can't be looking at the iPad, looking at your own swing, worrying about that," Hicks said. "You gotta kind of pour into them, talk to them, more about the game plan of how you're gonna attack the next lineup."
That, more than anything else, is what Hicks says he was missing when he was mostly serving as a designated hitter.
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