Aaron Hill, 2B, Toronto Blue Jays

May 1, 2007 @ 16:00:00

By Brad Berreman
Edited by Ryan Dodson

In April, Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Aaron Hill hit .313 with five home runs, 20 runs batted in and 17 runs scored, along with a .563 slugging percentage. He has already nearly matched his home run output from 2006, when he hit six in 155 games. Hill also had 50 runs batted in while hitting .291 last season. He had 28 doubles and 70 runs scored in 2006. In 2005, after making his major league debut in May, Hill hit .274 with three home runs, 40 runs batted in, 25 doubles and 49 runs scored in 105 games. 

One troubling thing about Hill is his relatively low on-base percentage. So far in 2007, his OBP is only .356. In 2005 and 2006, his OBP was .342 and .349 respectively. Also, his slugging percentage has seen a huge increase this year, to .563 so far, but it was just .386 in 2006 and .385 in 2005. 

Hill is relatively young, at 25 years old, so the increased power numbers could easily be attributed to increasing maturity. His low on-base percentage could be attributed to batting seventh in Toronto's order and a possible need he feels to be more aggressive at the plate due to being that low in the batting order.

For the rest of 2007, from a fantasy perspective, it is unreasonable to expect Hill to maintain his pace from the first month of the season. But that's not to say he won't be productive. An average near .300, 15 home runs, 65 runs batted in and 80 runs scored are reasonable expectations. Keep in mind that his runs batted in and runs scored numbers may be low unless he moves up from seventh in the Blue Jays' lineup. Don't look to Hill for stolen base help, as he has none so far this year and only seven steals in his career. He is eligible at shortstop and second base, which makes him a solid middle infielder option, particularly in AL-only leagues. The fact that he plays every day also helps his value.

Hill has been a hot free agent pickup because of his hot start, so he's unlikely to be available in most fantasy leagues right now. But if he is available and you need the help at second base or middle infield, don't hesitate to grab him. If you already own him and need help at other spots on your team, he could be a good "sell high" candidate as we get into May. 

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Brad Berreman
Brad Berreman has been a KFFL contributor since 2004.

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