SF Giants starter lights up radar gun in first start of spring training

The SF Giants took on the Chicago Cubs in Cactus League play on Wednesday and Jordan Hicks got the start for San Francisco. The starter went one and one third of an inning, but he lit up the radar gun with his high-velocity fastball.

In his fairly brief outing, Hicks allowed ne hit, surrendered one walk, and struck out three batters. He was pulled in the second inning likely because his pitch count was in the thirties and manager Bob Melvin was probably not too keen on pushing Hicks in his first start of spring training.

According to reporter Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle on social media, Hicks' fastball was in the 96-100 mile per hour range during his outing which is extremely encouraging. The hard-throwing right-hander bulked up and added 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason and the very early returns are great.

SF Giants starter Jordan Hicks lights up velocity gun in spring debut

Last year, Hicks started off the season throwing fairly hard. His high velocity was arguably the most exciting aspect of the Giants converting Hicks from a reliever into a starter. Hicks is a guy who has thrown a pitch at 104 miles per hour in his career so needless to say he can throw some heat-seeking missiles when he is out there on the mound.

However, as the season wore on, Hicks' velocity dipped considerably. It was clear that his legs were worn out from the increased workload and his pitching suffered as a result. Last season his fastball averaged 94.5 miles per hour which is not terrible, but the hope was that he could be one of those rare starters who is able to throw a high-velocity fastball with consistency.

It would be unreasonable to expect his fastball to average triple-digits this season. If Hicks were to max out on every single pitch and try to throw as hard as possible, he may not make it beyond April. He needs to pace himself, but it is reasonable to hope that he can gain a few ticks on his average fastball velocity in 2025.

If he can average 95-97 but can pull that 99 mile per hour surprise out of his pocket when he really needs an out in a tight situation, that would be ideal. However, Hicks has set a lofty goal for himself to make 30 starts this season, so pacing himself will really be essential to ensure he does not get worn out or injured like he did last season.

It is still an encouraging sign to see him throwing that hard in his first outing though. It is extremely early on so we should not overreact, but if Hicks can stay more durable in 2025 and can maintain his high velocity, he could be a secret weapon in the Giants' rotation.