MLBbro Pitchers Jordan Hicks, Xzavion Curry and Simeon Woods Richardson Ready For the Spotlight?

MLBbro.com has been very busy over the weekend focusing on the MLBbro pitchers no matter what the era. First the staff started with current events celebrating the comeback of Joe Ross winning his first game as a starter since 2021 with the Washington Nationals…

 

 

Then it was all hands-on deck to celebrate and honor MLBbro pitching icon Dwight “Doc” Gooden’s New York Mets jersey retirement. Gooden, fans and the Mets organization got to reminisce about not only one of the most dominant pitchers of all-time but the reuniting of the 86’ World Series championship team…

 

 

But what about the future MLBbro pitchers to follow in Doc Gooden’s footsteps? Three young pitching prospects have caught the attention of MLBbro.com with two of them going the route of Joe Ross entering a new era as a starter. While one is still in the minors working on his craft, don’t be surprised if he is not called up in the next month or so.  

 

MLBbro.com introduces the best kept secrets soon to explode on the mound like breaking balls…Jordan Hicks of the San Francisco Giants, Xzavion Curry of the Cleveland Guardians and finally Simeon Woods Richardson of the Minnesota Twins.

 

Jordan Hicks: 

 

This MLBbro pitcher is all about betting himself and following a dream of being a starting pitcher in the majors. Something he pursued in free agency before signing a four year, $44 million contract with the Giants in the offseason…

 

“My whole life, this has been my dream,” Hicks said. “I’m fully embracing this. I’m letting go of it. I’m excited to keep working on it and keep learning from everybody that has the experience.”

 

Over Hicks’ first five years, he was only known as a flame throwing right handed reliever out of the pen with only a few chances as a starter with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2022. Despite the success in the bullpen, the Giants have already started Jordan’s transition from the bullpen to rotational starter which is not as easy as one would think.

 

The first step is changing speeds on his fastball. To pitch consistently late into starts, our MLBbro has been working on actually DIALING BACK on his fastball, something Giants manager Bob Melvin discussed via MLB.com…

 

“It’s relative pacing for him,” manager Bob Melvin said. “So maybe down from 105 to 99 or 100 or something like that. But I think he’s pretty aware, too, that he’s got a really good sinker. If he’s going to stay out there for a while, being economical in his pitches are going to be important and getting earlier-count outs.”

 

“Whereas when you come in as a reliever, a lot of times it’s all about missing bats and letting it all hang out for an inning or so. But I think he’s got the mindset right at this point.”

 

The foundation the Giants and our MLBbro started on is a work in process.

 

• Hicks has only gone five innings ONCE in 212 career appearances…

• His sinker is top notch and could induce ground balls for quick outs and setups for double plays while keeping the ball in the park…

• Hicks also has a sweeper pitch averaging close to 87 mph that kept the hitters off balance in 2023.

 

MLBbro.com’s Gary Sheffield Jr. provides more on our MLBbro budding star here…

 

 

Xzavion Curry:

 

This MLBbro had his first start this week and showed up and out to the tune of going five innings while giving up only two hits. What’s even more impressive for Curry is that he recently just left the injured list for a viral illness and the game was scheduled in the morning. While most players would use these scenarios as an excuse, Xzavion Curry showed professionalism in being ready, something that impressed his manager Stephen Vogt…

 

 

“It’s tough to get the body going for an 11 a.m. game, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “These guys are incredible to be able to do it. But for Xza, he was hungry for this start. We could have started this at 6 this morning and he would have been ready to go.”

 

“He came out and attacked and put guys away,” Vogt said. “It was beautiful.”

 

The key pitch that is in our MLBbro’s bag is the sinker that kept the Red Sox hitters out in front…

 

https://twitter.com/DoublePlayDre/status/1779916227785187715

 

A pitch Xzavion Curry has worked on for quite a while as he shared after the game…

 

“That’s the pitch that throughout the Minors, throughout my career that I’ve been really trying to hone in with,” he said. “When that pitch is going, it can help me play-off other pitches. To have it working today and locate that today really helped me. 

 

A 6-0 shutout while giving the bullpen rest after a long weekend helps his team as well.

 

Simeon Woods Richardson: 

 

The numbers game caught Simeon Woods Richardson as he was optioned back down to the Triple-A affiliate St. Paul Saints despite an impressive six inning start giving up only one run while striking out five in his first win as a pro dismissing the Detroit Tigers 4-1 on April 13.

 

 

One reason for the move may be that our MLBbro is currently adjusting his pitching mechanics by working on his arm angle bringing his delivery down from the over the top style previously used. This adjustment increased his fastball velocity to the mid 90’s which makes the Twins very confident that Woods Richardson can contribute real soon despite being sent to the minors…

 

“It gives you a lot of confidence in him and therefore gives you a lot of confidence in the state of what we have to work with,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “It’s a 6-month regular season. I’m virtually certain we’re going to need Simeon again, if not for a long stretch, at some point this year.”

MLBbro.com’s Charles Nyonga covered Simeon’s potential in this “Take That” segment last year. 

 

 

It’s a long season that is just getting started. These MLBbro pitchers even though they are under the radar just starting out, watch out! They are coming with some professional stuff to help their teams become contenders.