Three years ago, J.J. Hardy's baseball career was on hold.

A top prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers system, he suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder his first month at the Triple-A level, underwent surgery and returned home to Tucson, feeling sorry for himself.

Then reality hit.

Older brother Logan, whose marriage went to pieces while he was overseas, returned home from a six-month tour in Iraq with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, where he had been among the first soldiers to storm Saddam Hussein's palace.

"He was volunteering to drive Special Forces into combat," Hardy said. "He was going through a divorce. Emotionally, he was in a phase where he felt life did not matter."

Suddenly, a bum shoulder didn't seem like such a big deal. Hardy's concern about his brother pushed aside his self-pity. The two moved in together that summer.

"He didn't want to be around people and I didn't, either," Hardy said. "We were comfortable being around each other. We were both in a bad state of mind. But we could talk to each other. If we wanted to do something, we could do it together. We helped each other get on with life."

It worked out well. Logan now is managing an auto glass company in Phoenix "and really enjoying himself."

J.J. Hardy is proving he is a top-flight major league shortstop and an integral part of a Brewers team that has served notice it is a contender in the National League Central.

He not only had to deal with the physical struggles of 2004, but a year ago, after having made it to the majors in 2005, he again was sidelined early in the season by an injury.

This time it was a sprained ankle in mid-May that eventually required season-ending surgery.

While there was speculation he also could miss a good portion of this season, he proved he was healthy during spring training and is putting the second-half touches on a season that already earned him a spot on the NL All-Star team by vote of his peers.

Hardy is among the new breed of offensive shortstops. He is hitting .269 with 18 home runs and 63 RBI.

He is tied for third among major league shortstops in home runs and RBI.

That's no surprise to the Brewers. They selected him in the second round of the 2002 draft, the 56th player taken overall. Most teams wanted him to be a pitcher, but Milwaukee liked him as a shortstop, the position he wanted to play and a big part of why he turned down a scholarship to the University of Arizona.

"I felt like if I had gone to college, it would have been to play baseball, and it would have been more about developing as a baseball player (than studies)," Hardy said. "Getting to the big leagues was my goal, so it seemed like I was better off signing."

Athletic ability seems to be in the Hardy genes.

His brother was a "very good athlete, too," Hardy said. And his sister, Jessica, is on a tennis scholarship at Colorado State- Pueblo.

His father played professional tennis, at one time being ranked 270th, and his mother was a highly touted golfer at Arizona and a rival of Nancy Lopez. Her professional ambitions were cut short by a nerve disorder in her hands.

Nothing, though, prepared Hardy for the challenges of the majors like the summer of 2004 with his brother.

"It helped get priorities in order," he said. "It helped put things in perspective."

It made the challenges of 2005, when he struggled in the first half of his first major league season, something he could cope with, allowing him to finish the season strong.

And it made the detour of last year's ankle surgery seem less severe.

"It's not fun rehabbing," he said. "But I had something to look forward to. I had enjoyed a little success (in the majors) and knew I could (play with the Brewers). I knew I just had to get myself ready to play. The opportunity was going to be there."

ringolsbyt@RockyMountainNews.com

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