Posts Tagged ‘aaron hill’


Aaron Hill makes history

Saturday, June 30th, 2012

Aaron Hill (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)

Arizona Diamondbacks’ second baseman Aaron Hill made history on Friday night in Milwaukee.

Hill, who was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks from the Toronto Blue Jays last August, became the first player since 1931 to hit for the cycle twice in a season.

Hill went four for five with two runs scored and three runs batted in as Arizona defeated Milwaukee 9-3.  The last player to have two games where he hit for the cycle  in the same season was Babe Herman of the Brooklyn Robins in 1931. The Robins would become the Brooklyn Dodgers the following season.

Overall this season, Hill is batting .302 with 11 home runs and 38 runs batted in, a .363 on base percentage and a .520 slugging percentage. Kelly Johnson meanwhile, who was traded for Hill, is only batting .241 with nine home runs, 33 runs batted in, a .326 on base percentage, and a .369 slugging percentage.

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Blue Jays swing blockbuster deal with Diamondbacks

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

Kelly Johnson (Mark Winograd, Wikimedia Commons)

The Toronto Blue Jays will have a news everyday second baseman in their lineup for the rest of the 2011 Major League Baseball season.

On Tuesday, the Blue Jays acquired Kelly Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks for second baseman Aaron Hill and shortstop John McDonald. All three players are currently free agents at the end of the season.

Johnson has 18 home runs and 49 runs batted in, but has an absolutely pitiful batting average of .209. The Blue Jays are hoping Johnson gets back to his 2010 season where he batted .284 with 26 home runs and 71 runs batted in.

Johnson’s inconsistent hitting is a minor reason I have struggled in my fantasy baseball pool in 2011. I drafted Johnson in one pool, but had to drop him after a lousy April.

Hill is not hitting that much better than Johnson. The longtime Blue Jay is batting only .225 with six home runs and 45 runs batted in. Hill only batted .205 in 2010, and has not performed close to his outstanding 2009 season (.286, 36 home runs and 108 runs batted in), over the last two years.

McDonald provides excellent leadership and should be great in an Arizona clubhouse, that currently leads the San Francisco Giants by a game in the National League West. He is batting .250, with two home runs and twenty runs batted in, and can play well in a backup utility role, if one of the Diamondbacks’ regular starters gets injured.

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Weekend Sports Preview–NHL Playoffs, MLB, Monte Carlo Masters, Curling’s Players’ Championship

Saturday, April 16th, 2011

Scott Hannan (Bridget Samuels, Wikimedia Commons)

One of the more interesting storylines  so far in the 2010-11 Stanley Cup Playoffs has been the strategy of the Washington Capitals. The players have bought into head coach Bruce Boudreau’s defensive mindset and limited the quality of scoring opportunities by the New York Rangers considerably. One Capital defenceman that is receiving considerably high praise is defenceman Scott Hannan who was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche for Tomas Fleischmann on November 30.  Hannan had four blocked shots and two hits in 28:39 in Game One Wednesday and was a +1 with a blocked shot in 21:34 last night. Offensively, two former Oilers have been producing for the Capitals. Jason Arnott and Jason Chimera found the puck past Henrik Lundqvist last night. Game three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal is set for Sunday at 1pm (NBC) at New York’s Madison Square Garden with the Capitals leading the series 2-0.

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