It's been a long, strange baseball journey for Aaron Hicks, one that that Minnesota Twins have found their way into the middle of a few different times.
He started his career with the Twins back in 2013 after having been drafted in 2008 and working his way through the farm system. At the time there was hope that he'd be one of the next core pieces of the roster but that never ended up materializing and he was ultimately traded away to the New York Yankees in 2015.
While he played against the Twins plenty of times in the years after getting traded away, he found his way back into the center of Minnesota's picture this weekend in the strangest possible way.
Aaron Hicks gave up a two-run home run to the Twins in his first-ever appearance as a pitcher
For the first time in his 12-year career, Hicks was on the mound as a pitcher. He promptly gave up a two-run homer to Ryan Jeffers, which served as both a cherry-on-top if a blowout win for the Twins and a strange full circle moment.
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Hicks spent time with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles after failing to live up to expectations in Minnesota, but Saturday night being as strange as it was somehow felt right. He finally delivered a big hit for the Twins, except nobody had it being with Hicks on the mound for a team facing the Twins on their BINGO card from a decade ago.
There was so much hope for Hicks as he was coming up through the Twins' farm system, but he ultimately ended up being nothing more than a seat filler for Byron Buxton. He went on to have mild success with the Yankees, and has found a way to stick around MLB rosters in the time since.
Nobody in Minnesota has nay ill-feelings toward Hicks, as enough time has passed since he disappointed fans by not amounting to what they were hoping for. Allowing a home run to the Twins in his first-ever apperance as a pitcher was the strangest full-circle moment we could have imagined, but it also fits for how strange his journey has been.
If nothing else, he threw one pitch that made Edouard Julien look like a little leaguer, so it wasn't all that bad of an outing for Hicks.