Graham Hicks

Graham F. Hicks

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 5", Weight 170 lb.
• School St. Petersburg College, University of South Florida
• High School George Jenkins High School

• Born February 9, 1990 in Lakeland, FL USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Graham Hicks was drafted out of high school by the Washington Nationals in the 4th round of the 2008 amateur draft. Packing a mere 170 lb. on his 6' 5" frame at the time, he was clearly still a work in progress and began his pro career modestly, with one game each with the GCL Nationals and the Vermont Lake Monsters of the New York-Penn League in 2008. In 2009, he spread his 13 starts among three different teams, with the Hagerstown Suns of the South Atlantic League joining the two for which he had appeared the previous season. His combined record was 5-5, 6.04 as he allowed 72 hits in 56 2/3 innings. He improved slightly in 2010, finishing at 2-6, 5.02 in 16 starts split between Hagerstown and Vermont. He allowed 87 hits in 71 2/3 innings, but had a decent K/W ratio at 66/25, a sign that better things could possibly be coming.

The Chicago Cubs decided to find out if the tall lefthander could be turned into a genuine prospect as they acquired him as a throw-in in a trade for established major league pitcher Tom Gorzelanny on January 17, 2011. There were two other minor leaguers going to Chicago in the deal, Michael Burgess and A.J. Morris, but none of the three panned out. In Hicks's case, he was 1-3, 3.98 for two Cubs affiliates in 2011, the AZL Cubs and Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League. The good news was that he was finally able to bring his hits allowed below his total of innings pitched - 58 in 61 innings - leading to a much better ERA, but otherwise did not show much in the way of potential big league talent. He was let go the following May as he was dealing with arm issues, and made one final professional appearance back in the Nationals' organization, with their affiliate in the Gulf Coast League again, on a rehabilitation assignment, to complete his career.

After baseball, he attended St. Petersburg College and the University of South Florida to earn a degree in corporate finance.