Nathan Hickey Portland Sea Dogs Catcher - First Base

       
 
Age: 24
Born: November 23, 1999
Birthplace: Jacksonville, FL
Height: 5-11 
Weight: 210
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
   
Drafted: 5th round, 2021 by BOS
How Acquired: Draft
College: Florida
High School: Providence (FL)
   

Photo © Kelly O'Connor
Nathan Hickey photos by Kelly O'Connor
Pronunciation: -
First Pro Contract: August 1, 2021 (BOS)
Signing Scout: Dante Ricciardi
Signing Bonus: $1,000,000
Rule 5 Draft Eligible: December 2024
MLFA Eligible: November 2027
   
Pro Debut: August 12, 2021 (FCL)
Added to 40-man: -
MLB Debut: -
Service Time (1/25): 0 days
Options Remaining: 3 (0 used)
Contract (2024): MiLB contract
   
Twitter: @n_hickey05
Instagram: @nathanhickeyy

 
 
 
 
 
     
  Scouting Report & Links      
         
  Physical Description: Strong, sturdy frame. Thick lower half. Lost a significant amount of weight when he got to college.

Hit: Starts slightly open with feet a bit wider than shoulder-width, hands at his back shoulder. Uses a toe tap timing device. Uphill swing path. Solid approach. Patient, knows the strike zone and will take a walk. Able to recognize secondary offerings early and stay back and drive them. In-zone whiff rates are on the higher side. Has trouble with good fastballs up in the zone. Long-term concerns about how much he will be able to hit left-handed pitchers, against whom his swing-and-miss increases significantly. Potential fringe-average hit tool.

Power: Plus raw power. Has shown the ability to drive the ball, especially to the pull side, both in batting practice and games. Swing has leverage and really utilizes his whole body in his swing. Potential for above-average game power.

Run: Well below-average speed. Not a major part of his game.

Field: Primarily a catcher in college, but also spent time at first and third base. Receiving ability is fringy and has trouble blocking balls in the dirt. Potential below-average defender if he can stick behind the plate, which is not a guarantee. Many scouts would like to see what he looks like at first base and in left field.
  Arm: Well below-average arm strength. Slow release and throws lack carry. Has had significant issues throwing out runners on stolen base attempts.

Career Notes: 2021 Newcomer All-SEC Team and SEC All-Tournament Team. Received a somewhat surprising over-slot bonus when he signed. Missed nearly all of the final month of the 2021 season due to a family issue. Participated in the Fall Performance Program in 2021. Participated in 2022 Winter Warm-Up. Got beat up a bit behind the plate in 2022, taking a couple of IL stints, including one for a concussion, and missing a week-or-so of games in a couple of other instances. Was set to participate in the 2022 Fall Performance Program that was canceled due to Hurricane Ian. Participated in the Arizona Fall League in 2023. Participated in the Red Sox Rookie Development Program in January 2024.

Summation: Potential multi-position reserve platoon bat. Ceiling of a second-division regular. Has to stick at catcher to reach his ceiling, but has enough bat to potentially make the majors even if his defense does not come much further along. Has shown solid contact skills and the ability to impact the baseball against right-handed pitching, but questions remain about how his hit tool will translate against better stuff and whether he can make consistent contact against left-handed pitchers. Given his defensive limitations, will have to hit at all levels to make the majors.

Links
Red Sox Select Nathan Hickey with Fifth-Round Pick (7.12.21)
 
   
     
    Hitting Stats                                          
  year team lg level org age g ab r h 2b 3b hr rbi tb bb so sb cs avg obp slg ops
2020 Florida SEC NCAA --- 20 15 45 12 14 2 0 4 7 28 10 15 1 0 0.311 0.439 0.622 1.061
  2021 Florida SEC NCAA --- 21 59 221 40 70 15 2 9 50 116 42 39 1 1 0.317 0.434 0.525 0.959
  2021 FCL Red Sox FCL Rk Bos 21 8 20 4 5 2 0 0 1 7 6 8 0 0 0.250 0.429 0.350 0.779
  2021 Salem Red Sox A LAE Bos 21 3 8 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 3 2 0 0 0.125 0.333 0.125 0.458
2022 Salem Red Sox Car A Bos 22 41 140 31 38 12 0 7 39 71 39 39 0 1 0.271 0.429 0.507 0.936
  2022 Greenville Drive SAL A+ Bos 22 34 115 19 29 6 0 9 23 62 24 39 0 0 0.252 0.397 0.539 0.936
2023 Greenville Drive SAL A+ Bos 23 18 68 13 20 6 1 4 9 40 12 20 0 0 0.294 0.402 0.588 0.991
2023 Portland Sea Dogs East AA Bos 23 80 291 49 75 18 0 15 56 138 40 91 3 0 0.258 0.352 0.474 0.826
2023 Glendale Desert Dogs AFL Fall Bos 23 16 55 5 10 1 0 0 1 11 15 24 0 0 0.182 0.357 0.200 0.557
2024 Portland Sea Dogs East AA Bos 24 26 82 14 17 10 0 0 9 27 23 28 1 1 0.207 0.387 0.329 0.716
2024 Worcester Red Sox IL AAA Bos 24 86 300 53 63 15 1 13 54 119 58 114 4 0 0.210 0.340 0.397 0.736
2025 Worcester Red Sox IL AAA Bos 25     stats                            
   
     
  Advanced Stats & Splits
   
     
  Awards   SoxProspects.com Awards  
  2021 Newcomer All-SEC Team
2021 SEC All-Tournament Team
2019 Third Team Senior Preseason All-America (Perfect Game)
2019 Florida Region All-High School Senior First Team (Perfect Game)
2019 Florida Times-Union All-First Coast team
2023 Eastern League Season=End All-Star
  2022 SoxProspects.com Pre-Season All-Star
2022 SoxProspects.com All-Star
2023 SoxProspects.com Pre-Season All-Star 
SoxProspects.com Player of the Week (August 12-18, 2024)
 
   

   
     
 
 
 
     
 
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