With one month of the season in the can, we can at least start to evaluate this club objectively. I want to start by examining the batting order, based on current production, and try to reconstruct it along what I’d view as optimal lines. Of course, there’s been some evidence that batting order in and of itself is much more unimportant than currently believed, but let’s ignore that for the moment and proceed with the following assumptions: first, that better hitters should hit higher in the order to maximize PA’s; second, that the most important skill for batters at the top of the order is to get on base; and third, that effort should be made to balance LHH and RHH.
Kevin Youkilis (RHH): .314/.429/.471 (126 PA)
Coco Crisp (Switch): .333/.385/.458 (26 PA)
Manny Ramirez (RHH): .297/.437/.455 (126 PA)
David Ortiz (LHH): .274/.383/.619 (133 PA)
Mike Lowell (RHH): .350/.398/.563 (113 PA)
Trot Nixon (LHH): .307/.411/.467 (90 PA)
Mark Loretta (RHH): .227/.281/.303 (128 PA)
Jason Varitek (Switch): .247/.330/.365 (98 PA)
Alex Cora (LHH): .217/.357/.304 (28 PA)
That’s my basic stab at a lineup vs. RHP. I’ve been immensely impressed – as, I think, have we all – with Youkilis in the leadoff spot, yet I’m still constantly hearing how much better this team will be when we can drop him down in the order. I like what little I’ve seen of Coco Crisp, and I can even accept him as a top-of-the-order presence, but to me Kevin Youkilis is the first guy I want at the plate. He’s got a fantastic eye, tremendous bat control, and hits the ball solidly; he’s dangerous everywhere but on the basepaths. And though he’s not exactly fast, neither is he particularly slow. To me, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be this team’s leadoff man from now until the end of the season or beyond.
Crisp is an interesting case – for one, because we simply haven’t seen enough of him to know what we have. I do vaguely like the idea of him as a #2 hitter; he gets on base at a reasonable enough clip, and he has the ability to provide some versatility with the bat; as much of a bad rep as ‘small ball’ has gotten, on a game-to-game basis it’s still good to have a guy who can hit, but who can also drop down a bunt or execute a hit-and-run. With Loretta struggling, Crisp is my man.
I’ve flipped Ortiz and Manny in the 3-4 spots as well; to me, Manny is at a point in his career where he’s developing holes in his swing at the outer edges of the zone. Having Ortiz as a presence behind him might cause pitchers to nibble a little less, leaving the ball in places Manny can really do something with.
Mike “Doubles” Lowell is an entity I’m still not at all sure of; yes, his performance has been impressive, but the drop in his HR power – at least early – is a cause for… scrutiny, if not alarm. I’m not sure there’s a precedent for a hitter losing HR power like Lowell had, but making up for that gap almost entirely with doubles. Still, his production has been impossible to ignore, and he’s the most clear cut candidate to provide backup for Ortiz.
Nixon, Loretta, and Tek are a solid 6-7-8 combo; I especially like wedging a guy like Loretta in between power threats toward the bottom of the order, adding some flexibility for in-game strategizing.
As for SS… well, I’ve had it with Alex Gonzalez, his two hard-hit balls in last night’s game notwithstanding. Cora’s by no means ideal, but at least his batting line shows something that resembles production.
The lineup vs LHP would be pretty similar; I might be tempted to move Pena up in the order, and would consider swapping Ortiz and Manny, or letting Gonzalez take short in those games. But overall, it would remain fairly stable.
What’s your take?
