Joe Hicks (baseball)

{{Short description|American baseball player (1932–2023)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name=Joe Hicks |position=Outfielder |image=Joe Hicks 1961.jpg |bats=Left |throws=Right |birth_date={{Birth date|1932|4|7}} |birth_place=Ivy, Virginia, U.S. |death_date={{Death date and age|2023|12|2|1932|4|7}} |death_place=Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S. |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=September 18 |debutyear=1959 |debutteam=Chicago White Sox |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=September 29 |finalyear=1963 |finalteam=New York Mets |statleague = MLB |stat1label=Batting average |stat1value=.221 |stat2label=Home runs |stat2value=12 |stat3label=Runs batted in |stat3value=39 |teams= *Chicago White Sox ({{mlby|1959}}–{{mlby|1960}}) *Washington Senators ({{mlby|1961}}–{{mlby|1962}}) *New York Mets ({{mlby|1963}}) }}

'''William Joseph Hicks''' (April 7, 1932 – December 2, 2023) was an American professional baseball player. He appeared in 212 games played in Major League Baseball over all or parts of five seasons as an outfielder and pinch hitter for the Chicago White Sox (1959–60), Washington Senators (1961–62) and New York Mets (1963).

== Biography == Born in Ivy, Virginia on Decca Farm,<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 2, 2023 |title=Obituary information for William Joseph Hicks |url=https://www.hillandwood.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=30058749 |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=HillAndWood.com |language=en-US}}</ref> he batted left-handed, threw right-handed, and was listed as {{convert|6|ft|2}} tall and {{convert|180|lb}}. He graduated from high school in Charlottesville, where he attended the University of Virginia.

Hicks signed with the White Sox in 1953, beginning his pro career. After five seasons in the minor leagues and two years of service in the United States Army,<ref name="sabr"/> Hicks was recalled by the pennant-bound White Sox in September 1959. He collected three hits and batted .429 in seven at bats during his late-season trial, then spent much of {{by|1960}} on the Chisox' MLB roster, almost exclusively as a pinch hitter. He hit only .191 and was left exposed in the expansion draft. Selected by the new Washington Senators as the 52nd overall pick, Hicks spent most of {{by|1961}} at Triple-A after an early-season audition with the Senators. However, he remained on the Washington roster during the full {{by|1962}} campaign, playing in 102 games, starting 29 in the outfield. He hit six home runs in limited service, but he batted only .224 overall and his contract was sold to the Mets at the close of the campaign.

In his final MLB year, Hicks started 46 games for the 1963 Mets, and hit .226 with five home runs. He concluded his career with a three-year stint with Triple-A Buffalo. Hicks was a solid offensive player in the minor leagues, batting .313 in 11 seasons. But limited playing time in the majors hurt his production: he collected only 92 total hits, with 11 doubles, three triples and 12 homers, in his 212 games, batting .221.

==Personal life== Hicks met his wife while playing for the Boer Indians in Nicaragua.<ref name="sabr">{{Cite web |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/Joe-Hicks/ |title=Joe Hicks |first1=Don |last1=Zminda |website=sabr.org |publisher=Society for American Baseball Research |access-date=December 9, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hernández |first1=Lou |title=Memories of Winter Ball: Interviews with Players in the Latin American Winter Leagues of the 1950s |date=29 April 2013 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-7141-6 |page=120 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pkb0gLLZGCoC |access-date=15 September 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

Joe Hicks died on December 2, 2023, at the age of 91.<ref>{{cite web |title=William Joseph Hicks |url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/dailyprogress/name/william-hicks-obituary?id=53787000 |website=Legacy.com |access-date=9 December 2023}}</ref>

Hicks' grandson is professional soccer player Lee Johnston.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/sports/m-soccer/mtt/johnston_lee01.html |title=Pittsburgh Panthers |access-date=2017-06-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908015943/http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/sports/m-soccer/mtt/johnston_lee01.html |archive-date=2015-09-08 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{baseballstats |mlb=115901 |espn= |br=h/hicksjo01 |fangraphs= |brm=hicks-003wil |retro=H/Phickj101}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hicks, Joe}} Category:1932 births Category:2023 deaths Category:20th-century American sportsmen Category:American expatriate baseball players in Colombia Category:American expatriate baseball players in Nicaragua Category:Baseball players from Virginia Category:Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Category:Chicago White Sox players Category:Colorado Springs Sky Sox (WL) players Category:Indianapolis Indians players Category:Madisonville Miners players Category:Major League Baseball outfielders Category:Memphis Chickasaws players Category:New York Mets players Category:People from Ivy, Virginia Category:San Diego Padres (minor league) players Category:Virginia Cavaliers baseball players Category:Washington Senators (1961–1971) players Category:Indios del Bóer players