Like most Milwaukee fans, J.J. Hardy has been one of my favorite Brewers since he joined the team full-time in 2005.
When you think about it, what’s not to like about Hardy? He’s an All-Star, he has always played hard, hit for power and average and plays shortstop as well as you could ask. And anytime you can get 50 home runs from his position over two years, that’s just a bonus.
Then again, there is that whole issue with consistency.
When Hardy was an All-Star in 2007, he hit 18 home runs before the break while batting .280. He finished the year with a similar .277 average, but hit just eight more long balls in the second half as he fell into a slump.
That late season slide turned into early season struggles in 2008 as Hardy continued to look nothing like the All-Star he was in the first half of 2007. Surprisingly enough, he regained his power stroke and All-Star form, hitting 18 of his 24 home runs in the months of July, August and September.
Of course, then there was this past season.
At the very least, it was a forgettable year for Hardy who hit just .229 with 11 home runs and was sent down to Triple-A for 20 days, costing him a year of MLB service time.
Needless to say, it’s been tough to be a Hardy fan over the past 2 1/2 seasons.
So, when I heard the Milwaukee Brewers traded the 27-year-old Arizona native to the Twins in exchange for centerfielder Carlos Gomez, I had mixed emotions.
On the one hand, one of my favorite Brewers was sent to Minnesota in exchange for an underperforming centerfielder. But on the other hand, Gomez wasn’t much worse than Hardy at the plate and the move upgrades the Brewers’ defense in center and at shortstop.
In the end, I was happy to see Hardy go.
It’s not that I think Hardy is terrible baseball player, because I don’t. What it comes down to is the potential of fellow shortstop Alcides Escobar, who has shown he is good enough to be the everyday starter.
When you have a guy like that, you have to give him a chance as soon as possible.
Sure, Escobar may not have the pop Hardy has, but he has incredible range and a strong arm — both of which are better than his predecessor ever had — and the ability to be the table setter near the top of the lineup the Brewers desperately need with Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder in the three and four spots.
Besides, the trade is a positive for Hardy, too, who I expect to welcome the change of scenery and have a big comeback season in 2010 with the Twins at the new Target Field.
But what I really like about the trade is the ability to start Gomez in centerfield and remove an aging and overpriced Mike Cameron from the picture. Don’t get me wrong, Cameron is still a decent offensive threat, an excellent defensive player and a strong clubhouse leader; but if you ask me, that’s not exactly worth the $10 million price tag.
Also, while Gomez and Escobar may not be as strong offensively as Hardy and Cameron, they aren’t likely to strike out quite as much and should get on base more regularly. The Brewers don’t need power numbers out of their centerfielder or shortstop. What they need is to get on base for Braun and Fielder, who are more than capable of driving them in.
And if the Brewers are serious about finding front-end help in the rotation, the last thing they need is to shell out a lot of money to underperforming guys like Hardy and Cameron. With those two gone, they certainly should have no trouble meeting the demands of an ace through free agency, something they were unable to do last offseason.
Many people thought the Brewers would trade Hardy for pitching help, and rightfully so. After the trade for Gomez, most of those people probably still think Milwaukee should have gone that route. But what they probably overlook is the fact the Brewers now have a pair of young players under 25 starting at shortstop and in center, which bodes well for the future of the organization.
Sure, bringing in two unestablished players in Gomez and Escobar, who will be 24 and 23, respectively next season, at key positions up the middle may put the Brewers further from the playoff picture.
Unlike Milwaukee Journal Sentinel sports columnist Michael Hunt, however, I don’t think that will be the case.
While he is right it is tough to be successful with such youth at the centerfield and shortstop positions, I think their youth and athleticism will help the Brewers offensively — a department in which they’re already among the league’s best.
It certainly won’t hurt the defense either, since the combination of Escobar and Gomez is arguably better than Hardy and Cameron anyway.
And while the Brewers’ defense was not terrible in 2009, in terms of errors or fielding percentage, the speed of the two youngsters could be the difference in a single up the middle and a groundout or a bloop single and a fly out.
So, while I don’t think the move alone is going to be what the Brewers need to put themselves back in the NL playoff picture, it’s a step in the right direction.
Milwaukee finished at nearly .500 last season with the league’s worst starting pitching. A couple more hits turned into outs on the defensive end could go a long way.
Jordan is a senior majoring in journalism and political science. Love the Hardy for Gomez trade? Hate it? Send your thoughts to [email protected].
