Al Yellon
Editor
It's Gotta Be The Hair - May 15
Grant Brisbee
Editor
Tarasco Sauce - May 16
Jeff Sullivan
Editor
Mission Accomplished - May 16
Rob Neyer
National Baseball Editor
Baseball is Unpredictable - May 12
Dan Moore
Contributor
Joey Votto And The Twilight Of The Giant First Basemen - Apr 14
Jason Brannon
Hot Corner Scribe
Len Kasper Has Been Over Into The Future... - May 15
Jim Baker
Contributor
eBay Item Of The Day - May 15
Marc Normandin
Contributor
The Royals And Pitcher Development - May 15
Wendy Thurm
Contributor
On Being Young And Brash In The Social Media Age - May 12
SB Nation 2011-2012 MLB Free Agents
The Arizona Diamondbacks have re-signed second baseman Aaron Hill to a two-year contract worth a total of $11 million.
Nov 13, 2011 - The Arizona Diamondbacks already had Geoff Blum, John McDonald and Willie Bloomquist under contract for the upcoming season. With that kind of talent in house, the last thing they needed was another middle infielder, right?
Jokes! None of those players are good, and so on Sunday, the Diamondbacks reached a two-year contract agreement with Aaron Hill. Nick Piecoro broke the news, and according to Jon Heyman, the deal will be worth a total of $11 million once everything's official. Which should be soon.
Hill will serve as the Diamondbacks' regular second baseman, just as he did down the stretch last season. He came over from the Blue Jays in an August trade, and though Arizona declined his $8 million 2012 and 2013 options after the year, they still had interest in bringing him back at a lower price, which is exactly what they've done. And this doesn't come as a huge surprise - there was talk earlier in the weekend that Hill and the Diamondbacks were nearing an agreement.
So here's the thing about Aaron Hill: lately, overall, he hasn't been very good. He's fine defensively, but at the plate, he's really struggled. His last two seasons:
| Year | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 138 | 580 | 528 | 70 | 108 | 22 | 0 | 26 | 68 | 2 | 2 | 41 | 85 | .205 | .271 | .394 | .665 | 78 |
| 2011 | 137 | 571 | 520 | 61 | 128 | 27 | 3 | 8 | 61 | 21 | 7 | 35 | 72 | .246 | .299 | .356 | .655 | 76 |
That is bad. Hill seemed to break out with a 36-homer 2009, but he followed that with a nasty 2010 and then a differently nasty 2011. This doesn't look like a guy to whom a contending team would want to guarantee a starting spot.
But let's take a closer look at Hill's 2011 campaign, shall we?
| Year | Tm | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | TOR | 104 | 429 | 396 | 38 | 89 | 15 | 1 | 6 | 45 | 16 | 3 | 23 | 53 | .225 | .270 | .313 | .584 | 57 |
| 2011 | ARI | 33 | 142 | 124 | 23 | 39 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 19 | .315 | .386 | .492 | .878 | 137 |
Hill was dreadful with the Blue Jays last season, but then he was outstanding for a little over a month after getting dealt to the desert. What the Diamondbacks are banking on is that the Hill they saw is more representative of the real Aaron Hill than the Hill they saw in Toronto.
Odds are that isn't true. Hill's recent Toronto sample size overwhelms his recent Arizona sample size, and his recent Toronto sample size is ugly. But then, maybe there's something to be said for success after a change of scenery, and Hill's big 2009 wasn't that long ago. Plus, Chase Field is a pretty good place to hit, so maybe the environment somehow helped Hill to re-discover some old magic.
Maybe Aaron Hill's going to look more like his old self over the next two years. Maybe he won't. Thanks to the way that he finished last season, he'll at least get an opportunity to show that he's got more in the tank.
4 comments
Mickey Hatcher, Angels Hitting Coach, Relieved Of Duties
Vance Worley Has 'Soreness', Will Miss Wednesday Start
Justin Morneau Will Be Activated From DL Wednesday
Manny Ramirez Rehab Assignment Will Start Saturday In Albuquerque
Jon Jay Heading To Disabled List; Shane Robinson Recalled
Troy Tulowitzki Day-To-Day With Deep Leg Bruise
Matt Kemp Goes On 15-Day DL With Sore Hamstring
Jeff Niemann Likely Missing 'A Few Months' With Leg Injury
VIDEO: Bryce Harper's First Career Home Run
Torii Hunter Placed On Restricted List Following Son's Arrest
More News »
Comments
I'm happy for Hilly. Hope he does well in the desert.
Follow me @BBBMinorLeaguer
by Minor Leaguer on Nov 13, 2011 11:09 PM EST reply actions
A look at his LD% over the years
Shows that his struggles in 2010 were very much real, but his generally lackluster 2011 campaign may have been aided by a healthy dose of bad luck. Dude was roping LD’s, but they weren’t falling for hits. Odds are that it won’t keep happening that way going forward.
Founder and Chairman of the Send Dan Some Pizzeria Bianco Commission (SDSPBC). SDSPBC is a totally, definitely for-profit organization.
by Dan Strittmatter on Nov 14, 2011 12:05 AM EST reply actions
Hill looked a little unlucky with the Jays, but there were a lot of weak grounders and infield flies as well as the occasional well-hit ball that got caught- he looked like a well below-average hitter before going to the desert. I think there’s some part of changing environments & new coaching that helped Hill, but I’m not sure Arizona should have bet $11m on it.
by gabrielsyme on Nov 14, 2011 12:25 AM EST up reply actions
Eh
you’re talking about the team that signed Blum before this season started to a 2 year extension, and gave Bloomquist and McDonald their own 2 year exstenions this off season. Obviously, they don’t care about how much they bet, or how crazy the bet is
Oh where oh where have my Dbacks gone? Oh where oh where could they be!
by imstillhungry95 on Nov 14, 2011 12:45 AM EST up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed