The ability to develop prospects, especially pitching, can make or break a franchise. With the cost of starting pitching continuing to rise on the free-agent market, organizations that can develop arms internally gain a significant advantage. One pitcher the Astros are currently developing is right-hander James Hicks.
Hicks was drafted by the Astros in the 15th round of the 2023 draft. His first full season in the system in 2024 was a strong one. He pitched across three levels making it up to Double-A while posting a 3.82 ERA with 29 walks to 115 strikeouts over 106 innings. 2025 was poised to be a big year for Hicks, but he struggled pitching only 46.2 innings due to a broken wrist and in those innings he had a 5.59 ERA.
That is where the Arizona Fall League comes into play. Many organizations use the Fall League as an extension of the season, allowing prospects to get additional reps, particularly those who missed time due to injury.
“Our pitching coordinator DJ Engle and the Hooks’ manager Ricky Rivera sat me down and said they’re sending me out to Arizona to get some extra innings to make up for the time I lost with the broken wrist,” Hicks said about the decision to play in the AFL.
The Arizona Fall League also provides a prime opportunity for prospects to showcase their value. The level of competition in Arizona is often higher than that of a typical regular-season club, making it an ideal environment for players to prove themselves against elite talent.
“I took this as a great honor because I knew what great competition would be out there, as well as what great pitchers we have in the Astros organization,” Hicks said. “It meant a lot that they chose me to go out there to represent the Astros.”
Getting the opportunity to pitch there is one thing; dominating is on a whole other level. That is exactly what Hicks did. He appeared in four games and did not allow a single run over 14 innings, striking out 19 while issuing just two walks and allowing only six hits.
“Being able to finish the season with a couple good games as well as go put together a good campaign out in Arizona meant a lot to me,” Hicks said. “I learned a lot along the way, between both the injury as well as the fall league… doing well out there gave me a lot of confidence to build off of an take into Spring Training in ’26.”
That level of dominance did not come by chance. It reflected the work he put in over the season, along with meaningful adjustments he made as the year progressed.
“I think that’s due to a couple mechanical tweaks I made before going out there, as well as getting to throw the big league ball,” Hicks said. “In Double-A we still throw the minor league balls so I had never really seen my metrics using the big league baseball but they seem to be drastically different.”
The sinker got a lot better, so I threw it more than usual and the sinker playing better made all of my other pitchers play off of it was so much better.”
His performance in the Arizona Fall League also earned him some accolades. Hicks was named the Arizona Fall League pitcher of the year for 2025.
“It really meant a lot to be named AFL pitcher of the year,” Hicks said. “This year was very tough with a lot of low moments so that award meant a lot because it showed that I never waved the white flag.”
Given the potential holes in the Astros roster and need for pitching, this performance in Arizona has put Hicks on track to possibly be a contributor in 2026.
“It gave me a lot of confidence and believe in my pitches,” Hicks said. “I feel like I’ve learned a good routine that works for me to keep both the mechanics and the pitch shapes in a good spot. I’m really excited to see what 2026 has in store.”
For an organization that values pitching development as a competitive advantage, Hicks’ resurgence in Arizona is exactly the type of outcome the Astros hope to see. If that momentum carries into 2026, he could put himself firmly on the radar as a near-term contributor.
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