Baltimore Orioles: How Much Will J.J. Hardy be Missed?

Apr 27, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy (2) fields a ground ball during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

Baltimore Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy will be missing for six to eight weeks with a fractured foot due to a foul ball. How much will this hurt the O’s both offensively and defensively?

I would submit that the total damage is not as much as is generally thought. Having said that, understand that I believe it would be better if this had never happened. It is just that an honest evaluation puts this in a better perspective than a first glance might indicate.

An answer to our primary question will involve who fills the vacancy both in the field and at the plate as a result of the opening in the batting order. And there will certainly not be one person who fills the hole day in and day out. Buck will switch things around with several players and varied matchups … as he should.

Defensively speaking, there is no scenario we can put together for the Orioles that makes them better without Hardy than with him. Whereas Manny Machado may not be much of a drop-off, and a day may come where he will be better than Hardy with the glove, that probably is not today. And this creates an opening at third base that nobody is going to cover in the same way.

Offensively speaking, there may be some scenarios where the team is actually better, especially in terms of power, if not also with other factors like on-base percentage.

Ryan Flaherty is being recalled, and playing him at third base with Manny moved to shortstop is the simplest solution. This retains a positive and strong defense with little drop-off in offense and even an increase in power.

Though Flaherty is no offensive mega-threat, the fact is that Hardy is no longer terribly scary either. For the 2014-16 seasons, Hardy is hitting .247 with an OBP of a mere .285. There have been 19 home runs, or about one in every 57 plate appearances.

Flaherty over the same period has the same OBP and a lower average at .211, but he has 16 home runs in about half as many plate appearances. Flare-dog has been hitting better this year, at least in spring training and in his recent little stint in the minors (8-for-19).

The Orioles have had an extra pitcher and playing short on the bench, so bringing up an additional infielder like Paul Janish is possible. He is an outstanding defensive player — nearly as capable as Hardy — and though never known for much production, he has been hitting exceptionally well at Norfolk. Right now he is batting .318, and he did hit .286 in 14 games with the Orioles last year. The O’s have held onto Janish for just such a time as this, knowing that Hardy has been a bit fragile in recent years.

I believe there is a better solution than these above, though I don’t think it will happen. This suggestion is not as strong defensively, but it would make the lineup definitively better. Put Chris Davis at third base, Mark Trumbo at first base, Nolan Reimold in the outfield, and Pedro Alvarez at designated hitter.

If it seems crazy to have Davis at third base, that may be because of a short memory. When the Orioles first had Chris Davis from Texas, he was more of a third baseman than first baseman. He has played a total of 89 career games at the hot corner. There were concerns before the 2012 season as to whether Davis could make the transition to first base. The big guy is a great athlete and could do a commendable job at third.