2009 Lineup

by bunner on Jan 25, 2009 1:10 PM EST

Just got to thinking about the Jays 2009 lineup and assuming no FAs are signed or trades are made they go into Spring Training looking like this:

LF Lind or Snider

CF Wells

RF Rios

3B Rolen

SS Scutaro

2B Hill

1B Overbay

C Barajas

DH Lind or Snider

So how do those starters figure to make the batting order? One glaring hole from last season was the lack of a true leadoff hitter and that still exists. Here's what I'd like to see the batting order look like:

Overbay

Hill

Rios

Wells

Lind

Snider

Rolen

Scutaro

Barajas

I know Overbay lacks the speed of a true leadoff hitter but he has the batting eye and OBP to be effective in the role (more effective then anyone else in the lineup)...the 5-6-7 hitters are pretty interchangeable if Rolen is health and producing he could be #5 but I'd like to see what the youngsters can do in important spots in the order too...

Thoughts?

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just for fun

since I’m not too hung up on the batting order:

v. lefties
3B – Rolen
2B – Hill
RF – Rios
CF – Wells
DH – Lind
1B – Bautista (assuming we don’t pick up another righty bat, which I’d like to)
LF – Snider
C – Barajas
SS – Scutaro

v. righties:
1B – Overbay
LF – Snider
RF – Rios
DH – Lind
CF – Wells
3B – Rolen
2B – Hill
C – Barajas
SS – Scutaro

Or something like that.

"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman

by hugo on Jan 25, 2009 3:38 PM EST reply actions

I'd prefer to keep the lefties a little better separated

so that other teams (ie. ones without multiple lefties in their bullpen) can’t leverage their LOOGY against us.

Overbay
Rios
Wells
Lind
Rolen
Hill
Snider
Barajas
Scutaro

"He almost has to start. Do you believe in miracles?"

by Torgen on Jan 25, 2009 9:00 PM EST reply actions

I like these orders:

vs. LHP

Rolen 3B
Hill 2B
Rios CF
Wells RF
Barrett DH
Barajas C
Bautista 1B
Scutaro SS
Lind LF

vs. RHP

Overbay 1B
Rolen 3B
Hill 2B
Wells LF
Rios CF
Snider RF
Barajas C
Lind DH
Scutaro SS

I think Rolen and Overbay need to be at the top of the order for sure. Although niether is fast, they are both good base runners, both hit doubles and have high OBP. Hill would make a great 3 hitter, if he can repeat his 2007.

I would like Cito to use Barrett vs LHP, along with Bautista. That would leave Overbay, Lind and Snider on the bench to PH late in games. Barrett has considerable power, and is a veteran bat. Bautista could surprise as well.

by Andy Mc on Jan 26, 2009 2:08 PM EST reply actions

I think you do a disservice to Snider to hide him from lefty pitching

and putting a catcher at DH is usually terrible. A good hitting catcher is usually a bad hitting anything else.

"He almost has to start. Do you believe in miracles?"

by Torgen on Jan 26, 2009 3:53 PM EST up reply actions

bad memories of our

3-catcher lineups, with none of them even good-hitting catchers

"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman

by hugo on Jan 26, 2009 4:30 PM EST up reply actions

I don't mind occassionally sitting Snider against lefties

particularly at first, and especially the good ones, but on the whole I think he needs to see lefty pitching if he’s ever going to develop into what we hope he is going to be.

"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman

by hugo on Jan 26, 2009 4:29 PM EST up reply actions

I thought Overbay

was a good hitter against lefties, even if he is one himself.

Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words—"mank" and "ind". What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.
-Jack Handey

by jobe on Jan 27, 2009 6:02 PM EST up reply actions