DUNEDIN, Fla. -- In the opening weeks of the spring training schedule, Blue Jays second baseman Aaron Hill could be found huffing and puffing around his locker in mock indignation.
The focus of his contrived wrath concerned the suggestion that as the No. 2 hitter in the lineup, he may get better pitches to hit and be less inclined to strike out on bad pitches if he could harness his aggressiveness at the plate. So in the first couple of weeks, Hill, who had 42 walks in more than 700 plate appearances last year, had three times as many walks as hits.
"Well, if they want a No. 2 hitter with 100 walks, they'll get it," he harrumphed before breaking into his trademark grin.
No, that's not want the Blue Jays want at all They want Hill and their young No. 3 hitter Adam Lind, to both hit like they did a year ago.
In 2009, Hill and Lind could do little wrong at the plate and when heavy lifting from the offence was needed, they provided it.
Both Hill, 28, and Lind, 26, were expected to provide solid seasons at the plate in 2009, although nobody really knew what Hill would produce after being struck in the head by teammate David Eckstein on May 29, 2008. Hill didn't play another game that season due to post-$concussion syndrome.
As for Lind, the year before, he showed some promise in two stints with the club. He batted .282 with nine homers and 40 RBIs in 88 games.
In 2009, Hill hit 36 home runs and added 37 doubles while driving in 108 runs while Lind, who served as the left fielder/designated hitter, hit .305 with 35 homers, 48 doubles and 114 RBIs.
Overall, the Jays slammed 209 homers with Hill and Lind, accounting for 72 of them or 34% of the team's total. With RBIs, they combined for 222 of the Jays 766 or 29% of the total.
As it stands, the Jays need both Hill and Lind to lead the team in production in 2010.
About the only two players who have the potential for a high upside this season are left fielder Jose Bautista and right fielder Travis Snider. But there's certainly no lock on having them produce at a high level either.
Over the winter, manager Cito Gaston, looking at his projected lineup, said he would like to move Hill to hit third with Lind batting cleanup. Given their productivity, it made sense.
But then Gaston thought some more and a few weeks later dropped the plan.
"Hill had a great year last year and Lind had a great year, so why mess with them," Gaston concluded. "If I do the switch I'm messing with them. I think Hill would do it in a second but he's just going to put more pressure on himself and I want him to be himself.
"Lind doesn't like that (cleanup) spot. If you can keep a guy comfortable, keep unnecessary pressure off him, it's going to help him play better."
For his part, Lind doesn't want to throw added pressure on his shoulders when looking head to 2010.
"I've talked to Dwayne Murphy (the Jays hitting coach) about it and it's going to be tough to duplicate last season," Lind said. "I have to try to be consistent.
"Hitting 20 homers and driving in 80 runs will be a quality season. I want to have a respectable year."
But those numbers sound more like the floor, not the ceiling.
Hill, for his part, just wants to keep going up to the plate hacking. That earlier working the count thing was just talk.
"I want to keep my aggressiveness that I had last year because I think that was a big part of my success," he said of his approach. "But it also got me in trouble a little bit, too. So if I can find something in between where I'm a little bit more selective . . . I felt so good at times that I chased outside the zone; you feel like you can get at everything and you get in trouble. So, if I can somehow cut the strike zone down and stay more consistent in the zone, it will help getting on base and help every thing else."
E-mail mike.rutsey@sunmedia.ca
