J. J. Hardy puzzles this writer. And perhaps this writer isn't alone. The shortstop has been jettisoned by the Brewers and the Twins in the past couple of seasons and the feeling seems to be that he wore out his welcome in both places. But this writer wasn't alone in questioning the Twins' decision to get rid of Hardy after the 2010 season. His injury history is puzzling. Is he soft? His batting history is puzzling. Two very good seasons in 2007 and 2008 were followed by a stinker in 2009 and a sub-par season at the plate for the Twins last season. Heck, even his stats in the field are puzzling. But the bottom line in all this is that when he plays, his team has a better chance to win.
Take this season for example. When Hardy has played (44 of the Orioles" 71 games), the team is 23-21. When he hasn't played, the Orioles are 10-17. Last year, when he played for the Twins, the Twins were 63-38 in games Hardy played and 31-30 in games he didn't. Is that a fluk...
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