J.J. Hardy
Encyclopedia
James Jerry "J.J." Hardy (born August 19, 1982, in Tucson, Arizona
) is a Major League Baseball
shortstop
for the Baltimore Orioles
.
in Arizona, and was captain of the "Sabercats" baseball team. He was an All-State Selection in 1999, 2000, and 2001, and was All-American in 2001. Also in 2001, he was a member of the U.S. Junior National team, which won the silver medal
in Edmonton, Canada.
during the second round of the 2001 draft. In 2003 he played for the U.S. Olympic Qualifying team. Participated in MLB All-Star Futures Game in 2003. His 2008 contract with the Brewers was for $2,650,000. Hardy suffered a dislocated shoulder and a torn labrum in 2004 in the minor leagues
and sat out the year.
He went into spring training
in 2005 as the frontrunner to win the starting shortstop job. Although he got off to a very slow start, Hardy finished strong and ended the year with a .247 batting average
, 9 home run
s and 50 RBIs. Hardy committed only 10 error
s in the field, but also had the lowest range factor
of all major league shortstops (3.76).
On May 16, 2006, Hardy slid into Philadelphia Phillies
catcher Sal Fasano
at home plate trying to score and badly injured his ankle when Fasano attempted to block the plate. X-rays revealed a severe sprain of the ankle, and he was placed on the 15-day disabled list
. Hardy recovered from the sprain, but constantly had trouble with an ankle tendon that kept popping in and out of place. On July 18, the Brewers announced that Hardy would have season-ending surgery on his ankle, performed by team physician Dr. William Raasch. Hardy finished the year with an average of .242 with 5 home runs and 14 RBI.
By June 27, 2007, Hardy had already doubled his career home run total. He ended up batting .277 with 26 home runs, and 80 RBI. He was selected to play as a reserve in the 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
, held in San Francisco. He played in the ninth inning and was walked
on his first and only plate appearance.
As of the end of the 2008 season, Hardy was batting .283, with 2 stolen bases, 24 home runs, and 74 RBI. He had a 16-game hitting streak, which was broken on July 5 with a sacrifice bunt in order to aid the Brewers in defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates
. For the week of July 7, he was the National League
player of the week.
Hardy was re-signed by the Brewers to a one-year, $4.65 million contract. After a low-performing season through July, he was optioned to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds
on August 12. His line-drive rate had declined for five consecutive seasons prior to his demotion. He was recalled on September 1 and finished the season batting .229 with 11 HRs and 47 RBI.
. He strained his left wrist with the Twins and was put on the disabled list. He was back in the lineup July 3.
and $500,000, for minor league pitchers Brett Jacobson and Jim Hoey
.
On July 16, 2011, J.J. Hardy and the Baltimore Orioles agreed on a three year deal which keeps Hardy through 2014. Hardy finished the season with 30 HR and 80 RBI.
player, and his mother was a professional golf
er. Hardy's brother, Logan, was with the U.S. Army's 75th Field Artillery Brigade, a unit among the first to Baghdad in March 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
) is a Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
for the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
.
Early life
Hardy played baseball at Sabino High SchoolSabino High School
Sabino High School is located in Tucson, Arizona. It is located on the city's northeast side. Its current principal is Valerie Payne.- History :The school was established in 1972 in response to the boom of Tucson's east side in the 1960s and 1970s...
in Arizona, and was captain of the "Sabercats" baseball team. He was an All-State Selection in 1999, 2000, and 2001, and was All-American in 2001. Also in 2001, he was a member of the U.S. Junior National team, which won the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
in Edmonton, Canada.
Milwaukee Brewers
He was drafted by the Milwaukee BrewersMilwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
during the second round of the 2001 draft. In 2003 he played for the U.S. Olympic Qualifying team. Participated in MLB All-Star Futures Game in 2003. His 2008 contract with the Brewers was for $2,650,000. Hardy suffered a dislocated shoulder and a torn labrum in 2004 in the minor leagues
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
and sat out the year.
He went into spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
in 2005 as the frontrunner to win the starting shortstop job. Although he got off to a very slow start, Hardy finished strong and ended the year with a .247 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
, 9 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 50 RBIs. Hardy committed only 10 error
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
s in the field, but also had the lowest range factor
Range Factor
Range Factor is a baseball statistic developed by Bill James. It is calculated by dividing putouts and assists by number of innings or games played at a given defense position...
of all major league shortstops (3.76).
On May 16, 2006, Hardy slid into Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
catcher Sal Fasano
Sal Fasano
Salvatore Frank Fasano is a former Major League Baseball catcher who is currently the manager of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats of the Double A Eastern League, a Minor League affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays minor league system. He is known to many for his famous Horseshoe moustache.Jeff Pearlman...
at home plate trying to score and badly injured his ankle when Fasano attempted to block the plate. X-rays revealed a severe sprain of the ankle, and he was placed on the 15-day disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
. Hardy recovered from the sprain, but constantly had trouble with an ankle tendon that kept popping in and out of place. On July 18, the Brewers announced that Hardy would have season-ending surgery on his ankle, performed by team physician Dr. William Raasch. Hardy finished the year with an average of .242 with 5 home runs and 14 RBI.
By June 27, 2007, Hardy had already doubled his career home run total. He ended up batting .277 with 26 home runs, and 80 RBI. He was selected to play as a reserve in the 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 78th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 10, 2007, at AT&T Park, the home of the NL's San Francisco Giants...
, held in San Francisco. He played in the ninth inning and was walked
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
on his first and only plate appearance.
As of the end of the 2008 season, Hardy was batting .283, with 2 stolen bases, 24 home runs, and 74 RBI. He had a 16-game hitting streak, which was broken on July 5 with a sacrifice bunt in order to aid the Brewers in defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
. For the week of July 7, he was the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
player of the week.
Hardy was re-signed by the Brewers to a one-year, $4.65 million contract. After a low-performing season through July, he was optioned to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds
Nashville Sounds
The Nashville Sounds are a minor league baseball team of the Pacific Coast League , and the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the city's association with the music industry...
on August 12. His line-drive rate had declined for five consecutive seasons prior to his demotion. He was recalled on September 1 and finished the season batting .229 with 11 HRs and 47 RBI.
Minnesota Twins
On November 6, 2009, Hardy was traded from the Brewers to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for outfielder Carlos GómezCarlos Gómez
Carlos Argelis Gómez Pena, nicknamed "Go-Go", is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers.-Minor leagues:...
. He strained his left wrist with the Twins and was put on the disabled list. He was back in the lineup July 3.
Baltimore Orioles
On December 9, 2010, Hardy was acquired by the Orioles from the Twins, along with utility infielder Brendan HarrisBrendan Harris
Brendan Michael Harris Brendan Michael Harris Brendan Michael Harris (born August 26, 1980 in Albany, New York is a Major League Baseball utility infielder who is a free agent.Brendan grew up in Queensbury, New York and led the Spartans to the 1998 State Baseball Tournament. He graduated from the...
and $500,000, for minor league pitchers Brett Jacobson and Jim Hoey
Jim Hoey
James Urban "Jim" Hoey grew up in Mount Laurel, New Jersey and is a relief pitcher in the Minnesota Twins organization. He is known mainly for his fastball, which he throws consistently between 95 and 98 mph; he did strike a batter out on a 100 mph fastball while playing for the Bowie...
.
On July 16, 2011, J.J. Hardy and the Baltimore Orioles agreed on a three year deal which keeps Hardy through 2014. Hardy finished the season with 30 HR and 80 RBI.
Family
Hardy's father was a professional tennisTennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player, and his mother was a professional golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er. Hardy's brother, Logan, was with the U.S. Army's 75th Field Artillery Brigade, a unit among the first to Baghdad in March 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom.