Pedantic wrote:Why would they move him down? The leadoff hitter should get on base, and lo and behold, that's exactly his forte. Anyone can knock in runs, not everyone can get on base. Besides, he'll probably see more steals in the leadoff position.
Getting on base is important but his on base skills can be used just as effectively in the number 2-5 spots aswell. However, his power is wasted in the one spot completely. Last year, for instance, he hit 32 HRs and 39 doubles but only drove in 67 RBIs from the leadoff spot.
Pedantic wrote:Why would they move him down? The leadoff hitter should get on base, and lo and behold, that's exactly his forte. Anyone can knock in runs, not everyone can get on base. Besides, he'll probably see more steals in the leadoff position.
Getting on base is important but his on base skills can be used just as effectively in the number 2-5 spots aswell. However, his power is wasted in the one spot completely. Last year, for instance, he hit 32 HRs and 39 doubles but only drove in 67 RBIs from the leadoff spot.
And scored 112 runs. How many would he have scored batting cleanup? A lot less. OBA is more important than SLG. They have Castilla and Guillen to hit him in, and even Vidro to fit nicely in the #2 spot. It's not a waste to have a power hitter at the top of the lineup if he gets on base that much.
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"I've got your phone number written, in the back of my Bible."
Jimbo OZ wrote:Bonds has had the greatest OBP in history over the past few years but, from memory, I don't think he has been batting leadoff. Gee, I wonder why?
hmm... bonds at lead off.. hes faster than most think... new record for lead off homers... though he would prob get walked each at bat
His OBA was .374 last year. That's very good, and the best on the team. Much, much better than "decent". The year before his OBA was .380. BA is irrelevent, especially for a leadoff hitter.
"Jack, will you call me, if you're able?"
"I've got your phone number written, in the back of my Bible."
Jimbo OZ wrote:Bonds has had the greatest OBP in history over the past few years but, from memory, I don't think he has been batting leadoff. Gee, I wonder why?
Because of these traditionalist ideas that a power-hitter should hit in the middle. Here's a helpful section from a Baseball Prospectus article on the issue:
So where does this leave us? Remember that we're dealing with a very small range of possible outcomes, meaning that much of the data being drawn from these results cannot be considered statistically significant. That said, when teams have a choice between a high-SLG, low-OBP player like Pena and a high-OBP, low-SLG player like Castillo, the traditional lineup structure with Castillo towards the top and Pena in the 3-5 spots yields near maximum run scoring. Though it may be ideal to bat baseball's best hitters--those who are among the league leaders in both OBP and SLG--towards the top of the lineup, teams that are forced to choose between high OBP and SLG appear to already be following a near-optimal model for maximizing run scoring.
Note the first part of the final sentence. (It actually seems that placing a Bondsian player in the second spot is more effective than anything, though.)
As for Wilkerson... why are people so down on him? He's not a good fantasy option with that BA, but his OBP was .374 last year, .380 the year before. That's far better than Braves' leadoff man Furcal, or some 3/4 hitters like Miggy Cabrera, Aramis Ramirez, and Manny Ramirez.
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by 58lambert » Wed Apr 06, 2005 9:42 pm 
