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Look I was just looking at Aaron Hills past and just noticed how under valued he is by the Jays fans. If you look at his numbers from even last season (considered awful) at 26-HR, 68-RBI, .205-Avg..... those are VERY respectable stats for a second baseman in todays MLB. Perhaps even over average. Plus his defence might not be like a young Orlando Hudson but it is above average.

He is off to a slow start because of injuried, but everyone taks of him like he is garbage...

So what led to all this Aaron Hill criticism?

well it was his own fault.... having a monster year after which he will always be measured in comparison to as long as he is in Toronto..... if he didnt have that season, i bet most of u would still be Hill fans



A change of scene for Hill, like a new team would put him back in the good books by alot of people. He is a steal waiting to happen.

I mean who are the Jays gonna replace him with...... Hechevwaria cant hit like him, nor can Escobar. They r considered top in their category because they are SS.... each position has its own standards and Aaron Hill makes up for his part at 2B

He is swinging hard at everything, thats his problem THIS season.... and that can be changed, with some work.

Plus he is signed reasonably for what he provided as early as last season. Plus the JAYS will have options on his contract throughout...... clever deal, eh.

I hope he is kept in Toronto..... and standards are lowered. He is not superstar, but he is better than what the JAYS can replace him with any time soon.

No, he's been a terrible hitter (even by 2B standards) for the last 7 months. That's why people don't particularly like him as a player much anymore.

If the Jays can find a better option through a trade (and there are many other better options), they should get it done.

Randle McMurphy wrote:No, he's been a terrible hitter (even by 2B standards) for the last 7 months. That's why people don't particularly like him as a player much anymore.

If the Jays can find a better option through a trade (and there are many other better options), they should get it done.

people were happier with Orlando Hudson...... a much worse hitter in all departments. He didnt even run faster than Hill.

Hudson was MUCH better on defence, but to be honest I saw nothing wrong with Hill's defence either. Hudson was flashier and solid, while Hill was solid...... not a big drop off at all

He's performing below his capability in my opinion, and I still think he'll bounce back. I guess others aren't so optimistic, but if you want an upgrade over him it would be something like a near all-star caliber 2B or a very good 2B prospect, whom will be pretty costly. I'd much rather use our assets to fill other needs like starting pitching or outfield.

number15 wrote:

Randle McMurphy wrote:No, he's been a terrible hitter (even by 2B standards) for the last 7 months. That's why people don't particularly like him as a player much anymore.

If the Jays can find a better option through a trade (and there are many other better options), they should get it done.

people were happier with Orlando Hudson...... a much worse hitter in all departments. He didnt even run faster than Hill.

Hudson was MUCH better on defence, but to be honest I saw nothing wrong with Hill's defence either. Hudson was flashier and solid, while Hill was solid...... not a big drop off at all

i think you need to look up some numbers, hudson's obp was consistently higher (not great by any stretch) with the jays that hill's has been in the last two seasons. if hill had been giving us that performance instead people would still be upset; i'll give you that much. but we would not be so geared up to move him at this point either. aaron hill has regressed to the point where his swing has some serious issues and appears to make him late to the ball (when he does make solid contact).

As has been stated, O-Dawg never hit .200 for us; his worst batting avg as a Jay was .268, which is passable when you are so good defensively a ball doesnt get by you. I like Hill's defense overall, but he isnt on O-Dawg level.

Orlando's OPS+ as a Jay by year: 97, 87, 98, 91
Hill's OPS+ last year and this year: 79 and 57

So was Orlando a much worse hitter? Really? Not if Hill maintains the level he is at over the last two years. If he can find a happy medium between 2009 and 2010, fine, I would be thrilled with that, as I am a fan of Hill and hate to see this current version hack away.

As for the theory that he is reasonably signed for what he gives, and isnt easily replaceable, it again depends on what you are viewing. Hill's 2010 Wins Above Replacement Player (WARP) was only 0.7, and this year is only 0.1, so he is essentially AT replacement player level, and thus overpaid if this is what he is going to continue contributing.

Again, this isnt a Hill-bash, because I like the guy and want him to succeed so that we can keep him. But the OP dishes out lots of comments and theories without backing them up with actual facts.

Worst thing that happened to him was hitting 30+ HR. Now he overswings and his average has suffered. He should be a 20 HR guy with .280 avg. Id be happy with that.

I still have faith in the man. Maybe it's just me.

ItsDanger wrote:Worst thing that happened to him was hitting 30+ HR. Now he overswings and his average has suffered. He should be a 20 HR guy with .280 avg. Id be happy with that.

He takes the approach of that of a power hitter these days with that upper cut swing.

The problem with that is he's not a power hitter and has a poor batting eye.

Randle McMurphy wrote:

ItsDanger wrote:Worst thing that happened to him was hitting 30+ HR. Now he overswings and his average has suffered. He should be a 20 HR guy with .280 avg. Id be happy with that.

He takes the approach of that of a power hitter these days with that upper cut swing.

The problem with that is he's not a power hitter and has a poor batting eye.

I agree with these two statements. The only thing that has frustrated me with Hill's play is his over-powering uppercut swing.

As for the OPs comment about Hill's 2009 season changing our expectations for him, I don't exactly agree with that statement. Sure, expectations rose when he hit .280 with 36 HRs, but that doesn't make last season okay. His HR and RBI totals last year weren't bad by any means, but a .200 average, .270 OBP, and .660 .OPS is horrible despite his position. If he didn't have a monster 2009, I'd STILL be disappointed at his 2010 numbers and his season this year.

The straw that broke the fans' backing was when he killed Morrow's legendary game last year.

CapeCrusader wrote:I still have faith in the man. Maybe it's just me.

I don't. I think he's done.

Alex has to move him. They already declined his team options. Move him while he still has some value