Fantasy Baseball 2011: Is J.J. Hardy Back?

J.J. Hardy is hitting .310 in August with eight runs, five home runs and 13 RBI in just 10 games. He was hitting .394 before a recent nine-at-bat hitless streak.

Hardy’s average on the year is nothing special at .270. His run total (51) and RBI total (58) aren’t going to overwhelm anybody. He has yet to steal a base on the year, which is not ideal for a middle infielder.

What he’s lacking in the speed department he’s more than making up for in the power department.

After just two home runs through the end of May, Hardy has exploded for 21 home runs since the start of June. He hit nine in June, seven in July and has five midway through August. The power alone makes him one of the top fantasy shortstops in the league.

His problem remains inconsistency.

Hardy hit .239 in April and May, .362 in June, .195 in July and now .310 to date for August. He had a similar trend on inconsistency last year, hitting .209 during even months and .319 in odd months.

In 2009, he was just plain bad for the bulk of the year, and in 2008, he started and finished weak with a torrid stretch from June through August. He doesn’t even have consistent career trends.

Hardy is a player to ride while he’s hot. If his production starts to wane, then you might go in another direction, but with the exception of Troy Tulowitzki and Asdrubal Cabrera, you’re not getting better power numbers out of the shortstop position.

Also check out

• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 RBI Guys Vol. 8
• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 Strikeout Kings Vol. 8
• Is Alejandro De Aza Worth Owning?
• Hiroki Kuroda: Proof That Wins Aren’t Everything
• Can Josh Willingham Finish Strong?