Flaherty on Hardy: "He's the rock of the whole team"

The Orioles are playing their final home game of the 2017 season today, and shortstop J.J. Hardy is going to find his name in the lineup. Tim Beckham's hamstring injury isn't a factor. Hardy was expected to start anyway.

Don't let the moment go unnoticed if you're sitting in the stands. It's Fan Appreciation Weekend, but that sentiment can extend to a veteran player.

Lots of people in the organization are hoping that the crowd grasps the importance of Hardy's inclusion and what he's meant to the run of consecutive non-losing seasons that started in 2012 and ended last night.

The trade that brought Hardy to the Orioles at the 2010 Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. ranks as one of the finest in franchise history.

Former president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail sent minor league pitchers Jim Hoey and Brett Jacobson to the Twins. Hardy won three consecutive Gold Gloves while earning the title as the leader of the infield. He also won a Silver Slugger Award and made the All-Star team in 2013.

Showalter talks about "trustworthy" players. He's never had one who fit the description more than Hardy.

The Twins basically dumped Hardy, who appeared in 101 games in his only season with them, to make room for Japanese shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka. How did that work out?

Hoey had a blazing fastball that lacked movement. Scouts watched him throw on the side and wondered how it would miss bats.

The former 13th round pick out of Rider University appeared in 11 games with the Twins in 2011 and registered a 5.47 ERA and 1.905 WHIP in 24 2/3 innings. The Blue Jays selected him off waivers the following winter, the Brewers signed him as a free agent in December 2012 and released him the following April, and he never made it back to the majors.

Hoey last pitched for the independent Somerset Patriots in 2013. He told me a few years ago that he'd like to return to Camden Yards for one of the alumni autograph sessions. We joked that he's a hero in Baltimore because of the trade.

You're a true Orioles fan if you remember how they obtained Jacobson. He came from the Tigers on Aug. 17, 2009 for Aubrey Huff.

Jacobson went 8-1 with a 2.79 ERA and 1.282 WHIP in 34 games at Single-A Frederick in 2010. He never made it to the majors, appearing in 10 games with Triple-A Colorado Springs in the Rockies system in 2013.

The Orioles also received infielder Brendan Harris and $500,000 in the swap. They needed only Hardy, who replaced Cesar Izturis at shortstop.

MacPhail also talked to the Rays about shortstop Jason Bartlett, but the sides couldn't reach an agreement. Reliever David Hernandez and outfielder Nolan Reimold were discussed as trade chips. Brady Anderson campaigned hard for the Orioles to keep Reimold while working out with him in California. Hernandez and reliever Kam Mickolio were sent to the Diamondbacks for first baseman Mark Reynolds.

Hardy was regarded as having the better arm, Bartlett the better range. I foolishly endorsed Bartlett on this blog, thinking Hardy wasn't in the same class defensively.

Bartlett was traded to the Padres at the same Winter Meetings and later played for the Twins, his original team, who released him in April 2014.

It just wouldn't have been the same to hear him introduced at Camden Yards as Ja ... son ... Bartlett!

Enjoy the Hardy introduction today from public address announcer Ryan Wagner. It's not likely to be repeated in 2018.

"He's the rock of the whole team," said infielder Ryan Flaherty. "He can have an influence on everyone without saying a word, just by the way he shows up, the way he goes about his business.

"I remember my first year here, I was a rookie and Nick Johnson told me, 'Hey, if I can give you one piece of advice, watch J.J. Hardy and follow everything he does.' And it's totally true. The way he carries himself. Obviously, he's about as consistent as a guy can be.

"He's meant a lot. You look at all the winning years here, he was a huge piece of that for sure."