Gibson: Diamondbacks’ Aaron Hill had best year of any second baseman in baseball

In 2007, as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, second baseman Aaron Hill hit 36 home runs and drove in 108 runs en route to an All-Star Game selection and the American League’s Silver Slugger Award at his position.

But after the season he put up in a D-backs’ uniform — career-high .302 batting average, team-high 44 doubles, 26 home runs, 85 RBI and a .992 field percentage — manager Kirk Gibson said during Thursday’s season wrap-up session that in 2012, no second baseman was better than Hill.

“Not in my view,” Gibson said in response to a question of whether any second baseman in the league had a more productive year. “We don’t see them all, but we watch a tremendous amount of baseball. We read about everybody from the organizations on all the websites. Numbers-wise I don’t think anyone matches up to [Hill].

“The numbers in and of themselves are an indicator of what you have. But it’s the intangibles that I really look for. That’s where your impact comes in.”

Hill’s impact since coming over from Toronto in September 2011 has been immense. From Gold Glove-caliber defense to shoring up the two-hole spot in Arizona’s batting order, Hill — who many thought was a one-hit wonder in the American League — appears to have solidified himself as part of the D-backs’ plans moving forward.

“Aaron Hill is relentless,” said Gibson. “Every day he comes in early, does his pre-game stuff and is always one of the first guys on the field. He’s having conversations with his teammates all the time. Stirring it up all the time.

“There isn’t an aspect of the game he can’t do. He’s just a baseball rat. He likes baseball and enjoys the game. And we are very excited about having him on our team.”

The D-backs declined Hill’s team option last winter, but signed him to a two-year, $10 million deal.

Kyndra de St. Aubin contributed to this report