Manny Should Be Batting 3rd

[weams]

We have the players we have and Machado is perfectly suitable batting leadoff.

It is a very simple concept. Why are you having an issue with it? You think that other posters here would be against having better performing players? .

I like better players. Always.

[CA-ORIOLE]

How many more opportunities do you think he would have if he hit 3rd than first?

In July, Jones has had 5 more PAs with runners in scoring position than Manny. Five. That's about 1 in 3 games.

How has Aoki, the guy you wanted, doing? Has he been on base this month?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not to mention Herman only referenced Aoki after the fact and seeing that he was doing well.

[Frobby]

How many more opportunities do you think he would have if he hit 3rd than first?

In July, Jones has had 5 more PAs with runners in scoring position than Manny. Five. That's about 1 in 3 games.

It's a significant enough number. Here is a post I made about 10 days ago:

Trying to shed some light on the question of how many RBI opportunities Manny loses by hitting in the leadoff spot:

- Manny has had 366 PA, and has had 166 runners on base compared to an average of 215 runners on base for the average player with 366 PA.

- Adam Jones has had 312 PA, and has had 209 runners on base compared to an average of 183 runners on base for the average player with 312 PA.

- Chris Davis has had 344 PA, and has had 218 runners on base compared to an average of 202 runners on base for the average player with 344 PA.

Manny probably has had an extra 15-20 PA compared to if he was hitting in the middle of the order. I'd say based on this data that he is getting 20-33% fewer RBI opportunities than if he were batting 3rd or 4th. At the same time, he is creating more RBI opportunities for other players than he'd be getting if someone else who wasn't as good was batting in the leadoff spot.

[weams]

Neither do I. Having your top OBP guy, who also has some speed, batting first makes plenty of sense.

It really does.

[ledzepp8]

I'm complaining because we can do better. In this time of struggling with RISP, wouldn't you rather have our best hitter up when there are men on base instead? But due to the way the lineup is constructed, he isn't getting those chances.

He's 3 RBIs behind the team leader. Obviously he is getting those chances.

[Herman]

We have the players we have and Machado is perfectly suitable batting leadoff.

It is a very simple concept. Why are you having an issue with it? You think that other posters here would be against having better performing players? .

ding ding ding!!!

My stance is that this team would be better off IF they had a more ideal leadoff hitter. In other words, someone who isn't currently on the team. The big offseason acquisition turned platoon player Travis Snider isn't going to cut it. I pointed out their lack of a leadoff hitter in the beginning of the season. With the way some of you get so defensive about the team one would think that they were 20 games over .500. The offense has struggled and they are 1 game over .500 for a reason. It is what it is.

How many more opportunities do you think he would have if he hit 3rd than first?

In July, Jones has had 5 more PAs with runners in scoring position than Manny. Five. That's about 1 in 3 games.

How has Aoki, the guy you wanted, doing? Has he been on base this month?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Aoki got hurt so it's a mute point but he would have been a nice addition to this team if healthy. Before he got hurt he was hitting .317 with a .383 OBP. He could have been the leadoff hitter and is a corner outfielder and filled two 2 holes on the team. He also would have been cheap. To suggest that the Orioles wouldn't be better off with a guy like that batting leadoff is crazy to me.

[mdbdotcom]

I just want to say that back in spring training, someone started a thread asking who should bat first. I said Manny, and added that it would be great to start the game with a bang. I haven't changed my mind about this question, but I did want to mention it because I am so rarely correct about these things.

[Herman]

We have the players we have and Machado is perfectly suitable batting leadoff.

It is a very simple concept. Why are you having an issue with it? You think that other posters here would be against having better performing players? .

It's a significant enough number. Here is a post I made about 10 days ago:

That was a great post then and it's a great post now.

[Herman]

I just want to say that back in spring training, someone started a thread asking who should bat first. I said Manny, and added that it would be great to start the game with a bang. I haven't changed my mind about this question, but I did want to mention it because I am so rarely correct about these things.

True, but what's the team's record and how has the offense been for most of the season? Do you think that the team would be better off with someone else (not currently on the roster) to bat leadoff so that Manny could get the opportunities that Chris Davis gets?

[DrungoHazewood]

Unintentional humor at it's finest. You actually see Biff as the hero of Back to the Future, don't you?

[ledzepp8]

I think Manny could easily have 15-20 more RBI with the way he's hitting if he was batting 3rd. I do believe we'd be scoring more overall runs with better lineup construction. Why not put Snider at #1? He's a solid OBP guy.

I know Buck won't change it because he loves his unorthodox batting lineups and is a creature of habit, but I just like to imagine how much more effective we'd be with our prototypical #3 hitter batting #3.

Davis leads the team with 84 ABs with RISP. Manny is 3rd with 62 ABs. That's a difference of 22 ABs. You think he would have 15-20 more RBIs due to an extra 22 ABs? That seems a little silly...

[DrungoHazewood]

That was a great post then and it's a great post now.

It's even better if you make it to the last sentence about the fact that Manny is providing more opportunities to the rest of the lineup than any other player currently available to the team would be. If you batted Manny third and anyone else leadoff the number of runs scored wouldn't change any significant amount.

[DrungoHazewood]

True, but what's the team's record and how has the offense been for most of the season? Do you think that the team would be better off with someone else (not currently on the roster) to bat leadoff so that Manny could get the opportunities that Chris Davis gets?

Are you actually asking if the team would be better if they had better players? Good way to deflect the original question by asking another.

[mdbdotcom]

True, but what's the team's record and how has the offense been for most of the season? Do you think that the team would be better off with someone else (not currently on the roster) to bat leadoff so that Manny could get the opportunities that Chris Davis gets?

We would be better off with Jason Kipnis or Brian Dozier batting first. Manny could bat second.

[weams]

Unintentional humor at it's finest. You actually see Biff as the hero of Back to the Future, don't you?

HE is. Isn't he?