Nathan Hickey extends hitting streak to four games with towering home run
After a slow start to the season, WooSox catcher Nathan Hickey has been on fire at the plate since the calendar flipped to April. That continued Monday night as Hickey added two hits to his resume, including a towering home run that set the tone early on in Worcester’s 9-0 win over Syracuse.
In the first inning, Hickey stepped to the plate after Nick Sogard and Chase Meidroth were unable to get on base. After taking two balls, Hickey deposited the third pitch he saw 382 feet into the right field bleachers. His latest home run gave the WooSox a 1-0 lead and extended the talented catcher’s hitting streak to four games.
After only recording one hit in his first eight at-bats of the season, Hickey has been hard to keep off the bases. He has seven hits in his last ten at-bats, including two home runs. Due to his recent success, the Florida native is hitting .286 through his first seven games of Triple-A action.
Jason Alexander was pretty, pretty, pretty good tossing six scoreless innings on Monday afternoon
While Kyle Teel is the highest-ranked catcher in the system, Hickey is providing a reminder that he can make an impact as well. He is coming off a highly productive 2023 campaign in which he hit a career-high 19 home runs between two levels. The former fifth-round pick also set a career-high in doubles with 24. Although his sample size this season is small, Hickey is picking up where he left off.
As the 2024 season progresses, he will be a prospect to watch. The 24-year-old provides power behind the plate and has improved at each level. Hickey's development has been encouraging in a farm system loaded with catching talent.
If he can continue to build on his success, then Hickey could be a player the Red Sox call on later this season.