Quote:
Originally Posted by CBeisbol
All that thought and then hitting your pitcher in front of your other best hitters?
Ok
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I play in historical fictional leagues, when batting the pitcher outside the 9 hole was just not done.
But, even in a modern league, I would not bat the pitcher out of the 9 hole, even is he was a better hitter than the #8 hitter. It causes more problems than it solves. For one thing, it brings the pitcher's spot to bat sooner in the late innings and will sometimes forces you to pinch-hit for a pitcher that you would otherwise be able to keep in the game. And getting on base in front of the top of the order is less important, to me, than having someone who can drive in a run up when the 5 hitter leads off an inning and gets on base. The #8 hitter is most likely to be the one batting with 2 outs and a runner on base.