One week into the regular season, and Aaron Hill’s numbers are on the egregious side; .259 SLG (ranks 302), and .207 OBP (ranks 350).
Given that it is early, and granted he was a little behind his teammates in spring training due to injuries, those numbers are still an area of concern.
With what Hill produced last season, a definite improvement is needed when considering Brett Lawrie is waiting in the wings in Las Vegas.
Before tonight’s game against the Angels, Gregg Zaun said he loves Aaron Hill batting second because he will see more fastballs with Jose Bautista hitting behind him, and once the game started, the color guys were pretty convinced that Hill was not pressing and was indeed looking for his pitch.
In his first two at-bats, Hill saw seven pitches (five in the first appearance with two fastballs). It appears he is still struggling with pitch selection and patience, as evidenced by his second plate appearance. During the course of completing this article, Hill’s BA has nearly dipped below the .200 mark.
Obviously, it’s not a confidence booster when you take a look at the stat sheet at the end of the night. But when it comes to confidence, it has to affect the athlete’s psyche sooner or later.
Hill is a leader and one of the veterans, we all know that; but when is it time to cut your losses and shake things up? How long can this team wait on Hill to regain his form of two years ago?
Before you know it, it’s May and the cream starts to rise to the top. Here’s hoping Aaron Hill can figure it out, as there is a pretty talented middle infielder in Sin City itching to get his shot.
Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective
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