Kansas City Royals: Offseason Prospect Watch, Brewer Hicklen

With just over a week left before MLB Pipeline re-ranks all of the prospects in every organization all over the league, Brewer Hicklen is in the 21st spot for the Kansas City Royals.

Prospect Brewer Hicklen was unranked heading into the 2018 season according to MLB Pipeline. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals. He now sits in the 21st slot in the organization according to MLB Pipeline’s rankings.

Hicklen originally wanted to play both football (wide receiver) and baseball in college at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, but the football plans fell through. As far as baseball was concerned, he redshirted and then played for two years before ultimately becoming the highest drafted player in UAB history.

Getting to the Grades

Hicklen’s highest grade, as decided by MLB Pipeline, lies in his running abilities at a 65-grade. He grades out as an overall 45 player, with 50 fielding and power tools, a 45 hit tool, and his arm sits at a 40-grade. He’s quick, which bodes well for him both on the basepaths and in the outfield.

His quickness allows him to play center, but his arm strength may make him a better fit for a role in left field. He has a lot of intensity, which is a great addition to the abundance of tools he already possesses.

2018 Statistics

Brewer Hicklen exploded in Lexington with the Legends. In 2017, he spent time with both the Idaho Falls Chukars and played in the Arizona League. In 2017, he tallied a slash of .321/.409/.532.

In 2018, he spent some time with Wilmington, but a majority of the season he played with the championship winning Lexington Legends. Tons of big names in the Royals organization were there for a majority of 2018, and Hicklen proved he is also a name to watch for. His slash with Lexington was .307/.378/.552. He recorded 18 home runs overall, knocked in 68 RBI’s, and had a total of 109 hits through 104 games.

It was a solid season for him, and he is definitely poised to build off the success he found, especially late in the year and in the playoffs for the Legends.