Aaron Hill is the latest in a fine line of second basemen in Blue Jays history.
A lot has been made in the media over the poor first round draft record of J.P. Ricciardi since he took over the reigns of the Toronto Blue Jays as senior vice-president and general manager in November of 2001. While the Boston Red Sox have fast-tracked first picks like Jon Lester ('02), Dustin Pedroia ('04) and Jacoby Ellsbury ('05) and the Yankees have debuted Phil Hughes ('04) and Ian Kennedy ('06) (both currently in their September rotation), the Jays only have one everyday player to show for the last six years of drafting.
His name is Aaron Hill and, after starting his rookie year in 2005 by flipping around between the three infield positions that don't involve using a trapper, he has finally solidified the second base position for what appears to be years to come. But really, over the history of the franchise, if there's a position that has been manned by some highly-skilled players, it's second base so Hill's emergence is just continuing a tradition.
During the infant years of the franchise (1977-79), the likes of Dave McKay, Pedro Garcia, Steve Staggs, Tim Johnson (yes, that Tim Johnson), Garth Iorg, and Danny Ainge (yes, that Danny Ainge) played second. Some good, some bad, but all those players were on teams that collectively put together a 166-318 record. Sure, McKay was the first Canadian-born Jay so we all remember him, and Iorg went on to prominence when he paired with our booth-mate Rance Mulliniks to form a solid platoon at third base when the Jays were finally playoff-ready.
That all changed, though, as did the team's fortunes, at the winter meetings in December 1979 when Pat Gillick, still cutting his chops as the Jays GM, sent left-hander Tom Underwood, catcher Rick Cerone and little-used outfielder Ted Wilborn to the Yankees for first baseman Chris Chambliss, lefty reliever Paul Mirabella and a young infield prospect by the name of Damaso Garcia, whose claim to fame at that point of his young career was that he once hit into a triple play against the Jays. In fact, it was the last triple kill that the Jays turned.
Trapped behind Willie Randolph in New York, Garcia hit the ground running -- literally -- in Toronto, finally free to display his talents. 'Damo' proved to be a better hitter than fielder, although he played a very steady second base. And he could run, back when the Jays valued team speed, stealing 194 bases over his seven seasons with the Jays.
Over the four seasons the team received steady, yet unspectacular, play at second from the likes of Manuel (Manny) Lee and Nelson Liriano. But a trade in December of 1990 with the San Diego Padres changed the Jays' fortunes forever.
Sick of always falling short in the post-season, Gillick decided to change the chemistry of his team, sending popular players Tony Fernandez and Fred McGriff to the west coast and bringing back well-known slugger Joe Carter and a little-known second baseman Roberto Alomar. Everyone knew what they were getting in Carter -- 30-plus home runs and 100-plus RBI on an annual basis -- but they could have never dreamed of the all-round skills of Alomar. He could do it all: hit for average, power, steal bases and went on to win five-straight Gold Gloves from 1991-95. And who could forget his home run off Dennis Eckersley in the 1992 ALCS that catapulted the Jays to their first World Series championship.
Unfortunately, Alomar's stay in Toronto was a mere five years and when the team's fortunes turned south, he fled through free agency and ended up bouncing around baseball before finally retiring in spring training of 2005. Many would consider Roberto Alomar to be the greatest player in Blue Jays history.
The post-Alomar years were not so kind. The team reverted back to expansion mode as many tried to fill Robbie's shoes with a multitude of second sackers. Tilson Brito, Miguel Cairo, Domingo Cedeno, Felipe Crespo, Mariano Duncan, Carlos Garcia, Tomas Perez, an aging Tony Fernandez, Craig Grebeck, Norberto Martin, Homer Bush, Mickey Morandini, Chris Woodward, Ryan Freel, Jeff Frye, Cesar Izturis and Joe Lawrence all took turns manning the keystone.
But after the All-Star break in 2002, a slick fielding, switch-hitter by the name of Orlando Hudson arrived in the majors to stay, whose fielding prowess was the best Jays fans had seen this side of Robbie Alomar. And while his stay in Toronto last a mere three-and-a-half seasons, Hudson's all-out style, quirky ways and constant, often illegible, banter made him a fan favourite.
His replacement Hill, drafted in the first round (13th overall) in 2003, took over second last season and has continued the tradition of excellence. It would be hard to imagine anyone else playing the position now. In fact, his all-round play has many comparing Hill to Alomar, unheard of in these parts. Earlier this homestand, Hill picked up his 42nd double of the season, eclipsing Alomar's club record for a second baseman.
In this uneven season, where the offence has often sputtered, Hill has been a rock at second. The tradition continues indeed.
