The year has not gone the way Diamondbacks infielder Aaron Hill expected it to. This has been both good and not so good, much of it intertwined.
He did not get the everyday second baseman’s job out of spring training, but he wound up with more playing time than he anticipated. He asked and expected to be traded, but, in retrospect, he’s glad his request was not fulfilled. After struggling initially with a part-time role, he sounds like he’s grown to like it – or, at least, to accept it.
And, as the season progressed, a funny thing has happened: He knows he might not find everyday at-bats with the Diamondbacks next season, but he is hoping to return.