01/18/2013 - Baseball Factory National Spring Training at Pirate City Ethan is a young RHP/1B that will graduate in 2015. Feet are active as he displays proper footwork around the bag and is a quality receiver. Hands are soft / clean as he makes the routine plays. He needs to improve foot speed and attack balls more to continue to improve defensive grades. Throws are accurate, flashing carry as he needs to build more arm strength through a long toss program. At the plate, Hicks shows a solid setup and loads well. He tracks the ball well, displaying smooth / loose hands that work through a level swing path. Barrel accuracy is a plus with the baseball jumping off the bat when centered, mainly to the pull side. For hitting grades to continue to improve, he needs to work to keep hands inside the ball to utilize all fields. Power numbers will continue to improve as he learns to use his lower half more. On the mound, fastball shows a range of 70-71 mph. Breaking ball displays 10/4 shape with gradual break. Stock on the mound will continue to rise as more arm strength is gained. Mental makeup is a plus as he is very coachable and a team guy. With 2 years to further develop, Ethan has abilities with time and room to improve.