To be frank, Hardy’s first season as a Twin has been one that
has been all kinds of enigmatic.
When the Twins received Hardy, they acquired a downgraded
product. Hardy’s swing was a hot mess and he was shipped to AAA in the
Brewers organization to work on his approach in 2009. Convinced they could
attend to Hardy’s mechanical needs, the Twins were willing to take on the
challenge of rebuilding what was once an elite shortstop. The implemented changes
are very apparent but the actual results have been very much connected
to his health in what has been a segmented season.
In his first segment, from the beginning of the season until
May 4, Hardy demonstrating little in the way of on-base abilities
but managed to drop a few bombs and collect several doubles on his way to a
.250/.299/.400 start. A bruised hand, gained when Hardy was sliding into third
in Detroit, sidelined
the shortstop of a portion of time in the early going and potentially
stymied his progress with the new mechanics.
After the breather, Hardy came back at the end of May only to
figure out that his wrist was still not yet 100%. In those 40 plate appearances,
Hardy recorded just five hits and one extra base hit (a double). Concerns over
the wrist landed him on the disabled list for the second time in the season.
Unlike his initial stint on the DL, Hardy was given the opportunity to heal (along with a
refreshing cortisone shot), and his return during the Fourth of July weekend
proved to be the jumpstart he needed to make everything click at the plate.
Since his July 3 return, Hardy has batted .303/.353/.428 with a
pair of home runs and 11 doubles in 172 plate appearances.
Hardy’s truncated season can be viewed in a myriad of ways. If
you are looking at the sum, obviously the numbers are disappointing. His overall .262/.312/.383 batting line is a far cry from the anticipated return to his pre-2009 form. At the
same time, when you consider the advancements the 27-year-old has made adapting
to refurbished mechanics as well as battling through injuries, Hardy’s season
is much more reassuring that he can be an above average offensive contributor
out of a historically defensive-oriented position.
|
J.J. Hardy’s Split Season
|
||||
|
|
BA
|
OBP
|
SLG
|
WPA
|
|
First Half
|
.226
|
.268
|
.340
|
-.548
|
|
Second Half
|
.305
|
.362
|
.435
|
.118
|
Above all, Hardy’s first-half of the season presumably
lowers his earnings potential that he could have achieved had he posted numbers
similar to his second-half throughout the duration of the season. While he
might make upwards of $6 million in 2011, it may prove to be a solid value. No doubt, the Twins will have J.J. Hardy at short again next season, even with the opportunity to non-tender him and skim some off the future payroll.
