James Jerry Hardy has taken his fair share of criticism during his time in Baltimore. In 2012, Buck Showalter insisted on batting him in the number two spot in the lineup all season, a spot Hardy really isn’t suited for. While his spot in the lineup isn’t his decision, Hardy’s struggles in 2012 (.238/.282/.389) were magnified by the fact that he was so high in the order on a team that was contending for the first time in recent memory, and Birds fans got on him a bit.
Here in 2014, he has drawn some criticism for his sudden power outage (eight home runs so far, after hitting 30, 22, and 25 in his first three years in Baltimore), but his current .282 batting average would be a career-high, and his 99 OPS+ is equal to last year’s (when he won a Silver Slugger Award), and his second-highest as an Oriole, behind only his 114 in 2011.
However, Hardy’s contributions cannot be overstated. His steady glove at shortstop is a huge asset, as his consecutive Gold Gloves (2012, 2013) attest.
J.J. and the team were apparently unable to agree on a contract extension last offseason, and he is currently set to be a free agent in 2015. With questions surrounding Manny Machado’s future both position-wise and health-wise, re-signing Hardy would seem to be a priority this winter. In the meantime, though, Hardy continues to contribute.
Last night in the finale of a four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays, Hardy had quite the say in what ended up being a 5-4 Birds victory to give them the series win, while also pushing their lead in the American League East back to 7.0 games.
With the game gridlocked at 4-4 in the seventh inning, the Rays had a runner on first and one out. Brad Brach got the hook in favor of Andrew Miller, who induced a soft liner off the bat of Logan Forsythe. It looked as if it would just be a “L6” in the scorebook, and Miller would have to deal with yet another hitter with the potential go-ahead run on base. Hardy, however, made an incredibly smart heads-up play, allowing the ball to drop just in front of his glove before picking it up, stepping on second, and firing to first.
Just like that “L6” with one on and two outs turned into a “6-3” inning-ending double play.
(c/o Baltimore Sports Report)
Just a magnificent play that ended any hope of a Rays rally. Bravo, J.J.
In the bottom of the same inning, Hardy again came through, this time with the bat. For some inexplicable reason, Rays skipper Joe Maddon decided to intentionally walk Chris Davis following a Nelson Cruz two-out double.
Intentionally walking Davis to get to Hardy. O’s fans booing out loud, but saying “Ok, sure” in our heads.
— Eutaw St. Report (@EutawStReport) August 29, 2014
Hardy, who had earlier in the game lined out into a double play with runners on first and third, had his BABIP “luck dragon” balance out for the night.
(c/o Baltimore Sports Report)
That hit knocked in what proved to be the game-winning run in the 5-4 O’s win.
Sure, “every game has a different star,” but Hardy, even when he isn’t the star, is a key reason the O’s are in first place as we approach September.
