How this works
Every other day, from now through to Christmas, we'll open up discussion on a particular player who made a meaningful contribution to the 2014 Diamondbacks. [I've drawn the line at 125 PA or 20 innings] There will be two sections. Firstly, a poll where you rate them from 5 ("Highly satisfied") down to 1 ("Very dissatisfied"): it's entirely up to you what criteria you use for the number. Secondly, the comments below, where you can talk about the reasons for your vote, etc. Things to discuss include, but are not limited to:
- Pre-season expectations
- 2014 performance: strengths and weaknesses, etc.
- Health and other mitigating factors
- How they'll help the team in 2015, their role, etc.
Three days down the line, we'll collate the votes, calculate a final average score, and write up the consensus of SnakePit thought into an appraisal. Here is a quick overview of today's candidate for your consideration.
Additional bonus! Going forward. we'll also have a "Comment of the Thread" for the appraisal, so please rec the comments you find insightful, funny, or whatever.
Aaron Hill - 2nd/3rd baseman
Aaron Hill was a microcosm of the Diamondbacks in 2014. At 32 and freshly recovered from his broken hand in 2013, Aaron was expected to be the backbone of both the offense and defense. But he struggled early, rebounded in May, and then limped his way to the end of the season. There were some moments where he looked to be turning the corner, specifically right after the All-Star break, but he was hit in the same hand location as his break last-year and while he may not have said anything about it but there was an obvious difference in his performance afterward.
His age was clearly a factor on the defensive side as well. You saw Aaron dive for ground balls a lot, which may seem like good defense, but when compared to years past we have seen him make those plays on his feet. He lacked range and was worth negative value at 2nd base for the first time as a Diamondback. Aaron Hill will admit this is not what he expected from himself for sure, but how disappointing was it for D-backs fans?