According to The Baltimore Sun, and the Minneapolis Star Tribune, The Orioles are set to have obtained their 2nd major upgrade of the off-season with the addition of SS JJ Hardy from the Minnesota Twins.
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/2010/12/orioles_expected_to_get_hardy.html
It appears Hardy would be acquired for James Hoey, and Brett Jacobson, with Brendan Harris also coming to Baltimore. This would be a significant improvement over Cesar Izturis.
Hardy, who turned 28 this past August, has a .746 OPS for his career. In the past three seasons, he has posted the following numbers:
2008: 146 games, 31 doubles, 24 homers, 52 bb’s, 98 k’s, .821 OPS, 6.8 UZR/150
2009: 115 games, 16 doubles, 11 homers, 43 bb’s, 85 k’s, .659 OPS, 9.2 UZR/150
2010: 101 games, 19 doubles, 6 homers, 28 bb’s, 54 k’s, . 714 OPS, 12.8 UZR/150
Some things that jump out to you when you look at those numbers:
1) Is he going to be capable of 130+ games?
1a) Is the wrist injury that bothered him in 2010 totally past him?
2) Izturis’ UZR/150 the last 3 years has been ’08 8.6, ’09 12.1, ’10 5.8 = 26.5 Hardy’s is 28.8. By that metric alone, you would think you are getting a comparable defensive SS.
3) Hardy’s lowest OPS during the past 3 years (.659) is above any season number for Izturis since 2004.
Brett Jacobson had a nice year for Frederick, going 8-1 with a 2.79 era, pitching 71 ip, allowing 67 hits, 24 bb’s, with 67 k’s. More importantly though, he was old for the Carolina league (23) all of the 2010 season.
James Hoey had reached Baltimore in the 2006 and 2007 seasons before missing 2008 to injury. 2009 was rather mediocre for Hoey as he was working his way back. 2010 saw a return to some success has he combined to pitch 52 ip at AA and AAA, allowing 37 hits, 34 walks, and 70 k’s. Even so, he was nothing more than organizational depth for the O’s.
This will be a very solid trade for Baltimore, and something to be excited about. Especially after the Reimold for Bartlett rumors earlier this week.
Brendan Harris is also interesting. Versatile guy that has played 488 games at 3rd, 443 games at 2nd, and 278 games at SS during his MLB career. In 2007 with Tampa, he played in 137 games and had 521 at-bats, posting a .771 OPS. This included 35 doubles, and 12 homers. In 2008 with the Twins, he played in 130 games, and had 434 at-bats, posting a .721 OPS. This included 29 doubles, and 7 homers. In 2009, he played in 123 games, and had another 414 at-bats, posting a .672 OPS. In 2010 that fell to 108 Major League at-bats, and a .446 OPS.
So, while Harris’ numbers have declined in 4 consecutive seasons, you have also obtained a guy that is versatile that has a decent opportunity to improve the bench.
Owner
Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.