Who Should Lead Off?

[Cocos Disciples]

would you rather have a leadoff guy that goes 0-2 with 3 walks or one that goes 2-4 with one walk, a 2b, and a 3b their obp is the same but the guy with the XBH has a "better" chance to score doesnt he?

 

assuming they actually are on base 3 times each no fielders choices or anything like that

 

Which would you rather have in the middle of the order?

[Dutchy]

im saying that drew is not the answer and i dont understand why he ever would be...the important thing is that we are winning' date=' right? why switch anything[/quote']

 

Did you say the same about Ortiz when he wasn't hitting in the 3-hole? In a perfect world, I wouldn't like Drew leading off either. I think he's a valuable power hitter who could bat in between Bay and Lowell. But Pedroia isn't getting the job done in the leadoff spot. His .221 AVG, .590 OPS batting leadoff is on par with Ortiz when he was struggling.

[pedroia_the_destroyah53]

i dont think leadoff is as important as the 3 hole tho is it? i mean the 3 guy can get RBI with nobody on base and typically a leadoff guy cant. and the 3 guy is counted on more for RBI then the 1 guy...OBP alone cant win you anything

[Dipre]

i dont think leadoff is as important as the 3 hole tho is it? i mean the 3 guy can get RBI with nobody on base and typically a leadoff guy cant. and the 3 guy is counted on more for RBI then the 1 guy...OBP alone cant win you anything

 

The entire basis of the Red Sox offense is OBP.

 

Just sayin'.

[Dutchy]

i dont think leadoff is as important as the 3 hole tho is it? i mean the 3 guy can get RBI with nobody on base and typically a leadoff guy cant. and the 3 guy is counted on more for RBI then the 1 guy...OBP alone cant win you anything

 

Most of the time the leadoff guy needs someone to drive them in, just like most of the time the middle of the order guys need someone to drive in. We can't count on solo home runs as the only source of offense for the team. The more people we can get on base for Youkilis and Bay (statistically the best hitters in the AL with runners in scoring position) the more runs we'll theoretically score. And statistically, Drew gets on base more than Ellsbury or Pedroia (especially when those latter two are in the leadoff spot) so I think AT THIS POINT IN THE SEASON, he'd make the better leadoff hitter. I don't care if Ellsbury's fast when his OBP is .320 as a leadoff hitter compared to Drew and his potential .380 OBP at the top of the order.

[TheKilo]

The entire basis of the Red Sox offense is OBP.

 

Just sayin'.

 

What does this mean?

[cobra24]

i dont think leadoff is as important as the 3 hole tho is it? i mean the 3 guy can get RBI with nobody on base and typically a leadoff guy cant. and the 3 guy is counted on more for RBI then the 1 guy...OBP alone cant win you anything

 

well if your lead off doesnt get on then how do you think your number 3 hitting is going to get RBI's?

[The_Destroyah]

I agree that you want your leadoff hitter to be speedy guy but if you cant hit the tough pitches that the leadoff man is bound to get then it doesnt matter, which is why moving Ellsbury to the 9 hole is a great idea: he gets better pitches to hit and is still on base for the guys with the power which would include Drew batting next with some pop and then Papi, Bay, and Youk taking the 3-6 holes it makes perfect sense until Ellsbury sees some more pitches and can bring up that OBP to at least floating around .370.

 

No one said Drew was a permanent fix but the guy is a versatile hitter he will get the job done anywhere in the line up

 

oh btw im loving your signatur Dutchy

[BoSox21]

the entire point of the Red Sox offense isn't necessarily to set up RISP for the middle of the order, it's to keep the line moving as much as possible. taking that into account, I think Drew at the top works best