I hate that there's even a conversation about potential second basemen for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2012 and beyond.
It guts me, it really does.
A homegrown player signed to a team-friendly (ie: option laden) contract, it was but a few season ago that Hill authored "Silver Slugger" to his resume, adding to his growing reputation as an excellent defender. It was also but a few seasons ago that Hill was seen as a leader of the team, wistfully encouraging the youngsters in camp to take advantage of the opportunity given to them and start dreaming of a career as a Blue Jay.
And now what.
I'm not sure if Hill looks more lost at the dish or in the dugout, but in both cases... he's not the same guy. Gone is the line drive stroke that propelled 62 balls over fences in the seasons 2009-10. Never an OBP machine, Hill's line now resembles a mediocre batting average. Defensively, well.... if defense were all that mattered at the position, we'd probably be seeing a lot more of Johnny Mac.
The Jays need Hill to be more than Johnny Mac. With all due respect to the Prime Minister of Defence himself, of course.
Perhaps as noticeable as his struggles at the dish is Hill's presence in the dugout. Clearly I'm reading far, far too much into this kind of thing (but if I didn't.... I would never have anything to blog about)... but it's hard not to notice that with all the excitement around these New Jays, Hill fades into the background. He`s not dancing any jigs with Jose, nor does he share a secret handshake with Edwin.
That's hard for me to take, quite frankly. I wish I could be the kind of dude who looks at the numbers and says "Pffft. Aaron Hill? Send him out!" But I can't. Maybe it's the loyalist in me, I don't know. Hill has invested a lot in this organization; would you dare tell me he didn't leave guaranteed money on the table when he signed that extension? And that extension was signed in the days before all this excitement; the future direction was undefined, but all Aaron Hill knew was that he wanted to be a part of it.
So you'll excuse me if I'm not so quick to toss the incumbent second baseman out with the bathwater. I want him to succeed. As a Blue Jay.
Something tells me, though, he only has a few months left to make his case.
11 comments:
Great post. You're right about Hill not taking part in, it seems, any of the fun stuff that has come to almost define this young, up and coming team. He's just lost in his own world, trying to figure his shit out.
Another team friendly contract in the cards?
when hill came up, the team was different, the regime was different... flat out everything was different. with vernon gone and most of the players from the 09 cito-mutiny gone, hill looks really alone.
I had photoshopped this earlier today.
Come on Aaron!
I'm in the camp of hoping he catches the bus and gets aboard. Not because I don't think we have many options nor that I don't think there's much out there but because I want to see him succeed and feel like he's part of the group.
I have a hard time believing the Jays pick up Hill's $8M option for 2012, but given the lack of free agent options, it wouldn't surprise me to see him come back on a deal similar to Encarnacion's.
Given where we are in the season Hill really has 6 weeks to make a case for next year. Either way what saddens me is how lost he seems at the plate and how that has crept into the field from time to time. He seems like one of the best guys in baseball. honest straight forward and seemingly down to Earth.
The truth is that the options are out of the question. No team is going to shell out $8M for a 230/ 500OPS hitting second baseman. So the question really is do the Jays offer Hill arbitration? Chances are if offered Hill will accept. So what he playing for is that arbitration offer. Or do they just let him walk? Given that there is nothing on the free agent market of note other than Kelly Johnson, whose price and years, because of the shallow pool, is bound to be exorbitant. I see Hill back and firmly in the 9th spot next year.
Obviously the options will not be picked up, but given the other crappy options out there, and AA's (correct) strategy of never giving up on a possible asset until it just can't be justified any more (*cough* Jo-Jo *cough*), I think Hill will be back next year, one way or another...
since it's not my money, the arbitration route is fine by me, as it at least gets us a pick if someone else is crazy enough to pay him more than the $5MM or so he'd get from the Jays in arb...
but I think the most likely outcome is an Easy-E type contract around $3MM...maybe I'm hopelessly naive, but if the Jays tell him they want him back, but just can't justify the $8MM, they could match any offer another team makes (can't be more than $4MM, right?), and surely he would show some loyalty and stick with the team that stuck with him, and is on the rise?
I could live with a mediocre Hill hitting 9th if this lineup continues to improve...obviously he has miles to go before he is even mediocre at this point...
One last thought: can we all agree to NEVER mention home runs when talking about Hill, EVER AGAIN? That's what got him all messed up...nothing but lines drives, buddy, and if a few go out, that's great...
It is the big leagues and these athletes have to have big hearts to make it there. When it isn't working both sides need to move on. Aaron is one of the good guys I hope he turns it around somewhere if not here.
Anybody think Hill could be suffering any residual long-term effects from that concussion? I'm no doctor, but just sayin...
Just checked, long-term effects of concussions include "degenerative motor skills" and "depression". Is it a stretch to say a .230 average and fading to the background in the dugout could fit there? Too soon?
They will not offer him arbitration, that's just not possible. Too much risk for the Jays. They might try to re-sign him to a 2M one year deal. If he doesn't perform at the plate he will be a defensive replacement like macdonald for the rest of his career.
I wonder what Hill's feelings towards David Eckstein are.
I want him to succeed as well, I put some money on him: his name is on the back of my Jays t-shirt!
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