St. Louis Cardinals rookie reliever Jordan Hicks says he has no problem with the way his teammate Bud Norris treats him, despite what a Thursday report might have led some to believe.
One day after a story by Mark Saxon of The Athletic said Norris has been "mercilessly riding" Hicks since spring training to keep him in line, the 21-year-old said he's comfortable with his teammate.
"He has the best intentions for me," Hicks said of Norris, in a conversation with Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Dispatch. "I think he's nudging me in the right direction. That's the best way to put it. ... It's a collective group doing it. You have to learn 10 times faster in the big leagues. You have to adjust 10 times faster. You have to be mentally stronger than you have ever been before. You have to make all of that happen faster. I have no problem with anybody getting on me. I get that. I have to listen.
"Bud is not bad at all," Hicks added. "He's getting on me because he wants me to be a better player, and I know it's to make me a better teammate. That can happen."
Norris, the 33-year-old closer of the Cardinals, and the club's manager Mike Matheny received some criticism after the story was published, as it suggested the skipper was content with Norris carrying on "the dying tradition of teaching younger players in the harshest possible ways."
Matheny also mentioned he'd issued fines to other bullpen pitchers based on reports Norris had supplied to him. The manager said he believed it was a good way to remind his players of the importance of living up to expectations.
Despite all of this, Hicks, who spoke with Norris and Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak on Thursday about the relationship between the pair, said he's fine with how things are going.
