Blue Jays: The All Time Drafted and Developed Team

Second Base: Aaron Hill

The development for Aaron Hill would be a little faster tracked than a lot of players, but certainly not as fast as John Olerud.  Going into the 2003 draft the Blue Jays had the 13th overall pick and did well in drafting Hill out of Louisiana University.

Hill had a good playing reputation as he won the 2001 Cape Cod League MVP and posted an NCAA career average of .335 with 23 home runs and 150 RBIs.  After being drafted, Hill would play in “A” ball short season for 2003 and he impressed with a .324 average.  In 2004, Hill jumped immediately up to New Hampshire where he played the full season and was able to hit quite well with 39 extra-base hits and 80 RBI.  The following season he was promoted to AAA Syracuse but played just 38 games before being promoted to the Blue Jays and playing his first game on May 20.

When Hill made the jump to the major leagues he impressed immediately collecting multi-hit games in his first three games.  After his first 11 games, Hill had two, three-hit games and four,  two-hit games to have a .415 average with three doubles and two triples to go with 11 RBI.  Hill finished up his rookie season in 2005 collecting 31 extra-base hits while batting .274, yet he did not get one vote for Rookie of the Year

Hill had a productive seven-year career with the Blue Jays, which included an All-Star appearance in 2009 when he also collected the Silver Slugger award for second basemen.  That season, Hill batted .286 with 37 doubles, 36 home runs, and 108 RBI.  Hill also finished 12th in the league in AL MVP voting.

The Blue Jays traded Hill, along with John McDonald in a bit of a tearful goodbye on August 23, 2011, to the Arizona Diamondbacks where Hill would go and play in his first postseason.  Hill would leave Toronto as the All-Time doubles leader for second basemen in a Blue Jays uniform and had a career .265 average.

Honorable Mention: Orlando Hudson and Ryan Goins