Jim Hicks ✝

James Edward Hicks (May 18, 1940 – October 29, 2020) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder and first baseman from 1964 to 1970 and in the Nippon Professional Baseball league from 1973 to 1974. He played in 93 games over all or parts of five seasons in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and the California Angels. Born in East Chicago, Indiana, Hicks attended the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. He threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall and weighed 205 pounds (93 kg). Hicks' professional career in North America and Japan lasted for 16 seasons, and saw him hit more than 245 home runs. After signing with the White Sox in 1959, Hicks played six seasons in their farm system before breaking the ice with two MLB appearances as a pinch runner in the waning days of 1964. He spent portions of 1965 and 1966 with the ChiSox, but got into only 31 games with 47 plate appearances. His contract was finally sold to the Cardinals' organization after the 1967 minor league season. In 1968, Hicks was named Most Valuable Player of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League when he batted .366 with 149 hits — including 32 doubles, 23 home runs and 85 runs batted in for the Redbirds' Tulsa Oilers affiliate.[citation needed]