Hill and Lind might get new lineup spots for 2010


Aaron Hill click to view statsBOSTON -- A pair of bright spots in an otherwise forgettable season for the Blue Jays, Aaron Hill and Adam Lind could be in line for a promotion next season.Well, sort of. Manager Cito Gaston has been hesitant to interrupt the career years of his second baseman and designated hitter/left fielder -- who have regularly occupied the second and third spots in the Toronto lineup this season, respectively -- by sliding the sluggers down in the batting order. After all, their combined 67 home runs and 214 RBIs through Monday suggest a comfort level Gaston has no intention of disrupting. But once next spring rolls around, the Jays' skipper is eager to explore options for the lineup placement of his top two hitters going into 2010. "We've talked about moving Hill down to third and maybe moving Lind down to fourth," said Gaston, whose club will continue its three-game series with the Red Sox on Tuesday at Fenway Park. "I didn't want to move them down during the season, because these guys have done a pretty good job in the spots that they're in. Sometimes, when you move guys around that way, they start to think they've got to do more. "Those two guys, all they have to do is continue to do what they've done." What they've done is carry an offense that was one of baseball's best early in 2009 before fizzling out in recent months. But for all the issues that have dogged the Blue Jays this season, Hill (.285, 35 homers and 104 RBIs) and Lind (.302, 32 homers and 110 RBIs) have been rocks of consistency that will likely be the centerpieces of Toronto's '10 lineup. Precisely where the duo will be slotted, however, remains to be seen. As for a Hill-Lind Nos. 3-4 combination? "You might see that," Gaston said. "We'll experiment with it in Spring Training and see what happens."
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