Quote:
Originally Posted by Fyrestorm3
Just as an fyi, the commonly accepted lineup model in today's game is something like:
1 - Speedster. High OBP is also a plus.
2 - Contact hitter, intended to move the #1 guy along.
3 - One of your two best power hitters, usually the best batter on the team.
4 - Your other best power hitter, usually with more power but less contact than the #3 guy.
5 - Usually your third best power hitter, but this spot can be mixed and matched.
6 - The best hitter out of your remaining four starters.
7 - Second best out of the four.
8 - Third best out of the four. If the pitcher is batting, this spot is usually occupied by a good baserunner, since the pitcher (batting 9th) will likely be bunting.
9 - Your worst hitter. Some teams switch it up and put a decent OBP guy (basically, a backup #1 hitter) in the nine-hole, with the worst hitter batting 8th.
Note that there are and always will be many, many discussions on what constitutes the "best" lineup, so you should feel free to experiment, but this is the generally accepted model in the modern-day MLB.
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Also to note: I tend to consider it okay to bat guys one slot away from ideal, especially at the bottom of the order, if you can alternate lefties and righties (with a S being an acceptable substitute for either). So if my 5678 hitters in order of best to worst were RLLR, I might swap the 5 and 6 or the 7 and 8. Or if they were RRLL, I'd swap the 6 and 7 hitters.
Also, if I have two really good hitters with high OPS, I'd rather bat them #2 and #3 than #3 and #4, because of the opportunity for a big 1st inning and slightly better chance of getting more AB's.