Willingham or Kubel?

[HOOTIE]

I think lineup makes a difference, and I believe lineup protection is a real thing, even though many will argue it isn't. Good lineup means better pitches, more opportunities for RBI's, and more AB's.

Lineup protection has been proven to have little effect, from every study i have seen.
There could be a sway in runs/rbis, but overall, hitters don't improve or decline in a given setting.

[jefferey13]

Ask a pitcher if he has every walked a hitter to pitch to a worse hitter (not just because you want to double play ball). If a pitcher ever says yes, then lineup protection does exist.

Now how profound the effects are over a huge sample size, I don't know.