St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Jordan Hicks announced via his social media accounts that he will not take part in the 2020 MLB season due to concerns related to a pre-existing health condition.
Hicks, whose powerful right arm throws the fastest average fastball in the whole league, is a Type 1 Diabetic and thus pertains to a group which has been reported to be at a higher risk for severe complications due to COVID-19. A joint decision was reached between Hicks and his team to keep him at home in 2020, allowing him to focus on his health and come back strong for next season.
Another factor which may have played a part in Hicks’ and the Cardinals’ decision is that the righty is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery. While he was scheduled to rejoin the team’s bullpen at some point during the 2020 season, he would not have been available for all of the team’s games either way.
The 23-year-old flamethrower is the owner of a career 3.47 ERA in 106.1 innings on the mound. He became pencilled in as St. Louis’ closer after an impressive start to the 2019 season before he tore his ulnar collateral ligament, knocking him out for the rest of the season and part of 2020.
Hopefully the Cardinal closer will be healthy and ready to go for the 2021 season, with the coronavirus pandemic and arm surgery behind him.
