Lineup strategy Topic

Classic lineup theory says your leadoff hitter should be a speedy guy. I disagree. The biggest advantage of Speed is staying out of double plays. Leadoff hitters have the fewest double play opps by far. So my leadoff guys have high Walks and high stamina. Unless he has a ton of Steals at a high success rate, which is rare; Walks have considerably more value when nobody is on base. And stamina is always a factor in the Sim. I'll bat Babe Ruth 2nd or so because most versions have high PA and I don't want to waste them. 4th or 5th belong to hitters who might need some rest.

A mediocre hitter with great glove should bat low to keep him in the field for more games. Tony LaRusso's nonsense of batting the pitcher 8th was all about boosting Mark McGwire's stats. But in the Sim it matters if you have fatigue issues. Low caps sometimes bat the pitcher 1st to preserve stamina, at least early in the season where it has a greater impact.
L/R strategey changes depeding on whether LP or RP is startong. They'll change pitchers midgame but the early guys see the SP more often. And lineups may rotate L vs R because RP are chosen based on who is coming up next but that is not a major factor..
12/23/2024 2:34 PM (edited)
rbow....unclear if this was for discussion or you were just stating opinions...haha.

I never worried about speed at the top unless you are stealing bases. OBP in FRONT of your best hitters 2-4 is how I think about it. No one bunts in this game anymore so the old Omar Morena / Tim Foli / Dave Parker from Pittsburgh probably doesnt work here. I like high OBP / Low PA guys 6/7th in front of a low average MASHER to save ABs.

Crappy hitters who play good or bad defense should bat lower in the lineup. I agree but it is not due to their glove.

Im a Cards fan and LaRussa's P batting 8th was a bit silly but I have tried it here when I have a low AB guy who is decent, he becomes the 2nd leadoff hitter after the first inning.

I find switch hitters seem to do well here. I will I could know if the RL splits are used or general ones.
12/24/2024 3:18 PM
I do the same thing with the 9 spot. A solid fielder with under 600 pa's can play almost 162 games. And like you said, +obp guys become another lead-off hitter.
And while we're talking about leadoff hitters, thinking of you Rickey Henderson.
12/24/2024 3:32 PM
Often, at least early in the season, I end up using a 'strategy' of putting guys in descending order of PAs to help manage fatigue I also am a believer in batting a lower average power hitter / HR hitter 3rd
12/24/2024 4:39 PM
Lineup strategy Topic

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