What lineup would you go with?

[Laser Show]

I've seen many lineups being thrown out there that could all be viable, but which would you put out there? This isn't "which is the most productive via AccuScore", this is which would you, personally, like to see every day.

 

Carl Crawford is way ahead of his rehab schedule as well, and could be our Opening Day LF.

 

I'd love to see a lineup of:

 

Ellsbury

Crawford

Pedroia

Gonzalez

Youkilis

Ortiz

Sweeney/Ross

Aviles/Punto/Iglesias

Salty

 

Keep Crawford batting #2 even if he is hitting .200 in May, remember how Ortiz was a few years back before he turned it around. I love the guy, I just think we, as fans, gave up on him way too soon.

[Station 13]

Crawford

Pedroia

Ellsbury

Gonzalez

Youkilis

Ortiz

Ross

Saltawwhatevera

Avilas

 

Don't put Ells at lead off if he keeps hitting HRs, he pour it on by hitting 22HR in the final 10 weeks of 2011.

[Emmz]

Probably would swap Ortiz with Youk but we will see how they both perform.

[Emmz]

Crawford

Pedroia

Ellsbury

Gonzalez

Youkilis

Ortiz

Ross

Saltawwhatevera

Avilas

 

Don't put Ells at lead off if he keeps hitting HRs, he pour it on by hitting 22HR in the final 10 weeks of 2011.

 

Crawford leading off? Pass.

[Laser Show]

I definitely wouldn't have CC leading off. Ellsbury needs to stay there, whether he hits 1 or 15 HR in April.

[The Boomer]

I definitely wouldn't have CC leading off. Ellsbury needs to stay there' date=' whether he hits 1 or 15 HR in April.[/quote']

 

I'd have Pedroia leading off before I'd go with Crawford. But I like the original lineup fine.

[example1]

I liked having Pedroia hitting 3rd last year and I like it this year too. If Crawford can become a dangerous hitter again this would be a fine lineup as far as I'm concerned.

[SoxSport]

Didn't Tito start the season off in Texas with Ells-1, CC-2 in the batting order?

 

Crawford got moved down when he had a slow start. But then most of the team started slowly,

and there was a question whether they were properly prepared in ST to start the season.

So it wasn't just CC. I think Tito's mistake was keeping him buried in the batting order even after he started to hit some. The guy is paid a lot of money to score runs, and that isn't going to happen enough batting 7th.

[User Name]

Ellsbury

Pedroia

Gonzales

Youkilis

Ortiz

Ross/Crawford (if he can begin the season)

Salty

Sweeney

Aviles

[seabeachfred]

I liked having Pedroia hitting 3rd last year and I like it this year too. If Crawford can become a dangerous hitter again this would be a fine lineup as far as I'm concerned.

 

Well with Crawford on the shelf now for maybe the first two or three weeks of the season barring a miracle, I think we can go something like Ellsbury, Pedroia, Gonzales, Youk, Papi (those two are interchangeable but we have a left, right, left, right, left), Ross, Aviles, Salty and Sweeney. Sweeney I'm told can run, so we would have some speed from nine, one, two. It would be nice if Sweeney finally lived up to the promise the A's had for him earlier in his career, but I will go on record and predict that Aviles will be a pleasant hitting surprise and Ross COULD be made for Fenway Park. We'll know more when he see how they hit when the ST games get deep into March.

[SCM33]

Crawford leading off? Pass.

 

Yup.

 

And unless Pedroia hits third.....Crawford will continue to hit 7, 8 or 9 in the lineup just as I said he would last year.....which will be perfect for him as he can use that as an excuse if he struggles.

[SCM33]

Ellsbury

Pedroia

Gonzales

Youkilis

Ortiz

Ross/Crawford (if he can begin the season)

Salty

Sweeney

Aviles

 

Crawford cant hit directly behind Ortiz. When Ortiz is on base ahead of him, Crawford's assets are useless. Ortiz clogging up the bases forces Crawford to do things hes not comfortable doing.

 

Crawford is best suited at 9 IMO in that lineup and it is not a slight in any way. A leadoff hitter is only a leadoff hitter once a game. His speed is best back to back with Ellsbury and Pedroia setting the table up for the heart of the lineup.

[User Name]

Crawford cant hit directly behind Ortiz. When Ortiz is on base ahead of him, Crawford's assets are useless. Ortiz clogging up the bases forces Crawford to do things hes not comfortable doing.

 

Crawford is best suited at 9 IMO in that lineup and it is not a slight in any way. A leadoff hitter is only a leadoff hitter once a game. His speed is best back to back with Ellsbury and Pedroia setting the table up for the heart of the lineup.

 

Actually, i mistakenly put Crawford in the 6th spot next to Ross because their position (LF) is interchangeable and Ross will likely be platooning (to a certain extent) with Sweeney.

 

Let me put it this way:

 

Before Crawford comes back:

 

Ellsbury

Pedroia

Gonzales

Youkilis

Ortiz

Ross

Salty

Sweeney

Aviles

 

 

After Crawford comes back:

 

Ellsbury

Pedroia

Gonzales

Youkilis

Ortiz

Ross

Crawford

Salty

Aviles

 

 

This assumes Ross is in the lineup most of the time in RF, but i don't think that's his best position, and Kalish will own the position eventually anyways.

[Emmz]

If he starts hitting, I see no issue with a Ells>Crawford>Pedroia 1-3. But thats only if he goes back to where he was at his best. Otherwise he's going to be in the bottom of the order, 7-9 imo.

[User Name]

Going lefty-lefty at the top of the lineup when one of them can't him lefties is LOOGY heaven.

[Palodios]

Ellsbury

Pedroia

Gonzales

Youkilis

Ortiz

Ross

Crawford

Aviles

Salty

 

 

This is the ideal lineup, hands down. It goes L-R-L all the way through, with a switch hitter at the end.

 

The top 5 are self-explanatory. Putting Ross at 6 prevents Crawford from getting cramped on the basepaths. Aviles hits for average but never walks, which will give him the chance to advance Crawford, and Salty hits for slug, but not OBP, which will do well to drive both Crawford and Aviles home-- since Aviles is pretty fast too. It fits very well, and if it weren't for the "rebuild Crawford's confidence" argument, I'd bet it would be widely agreed upon.

[SCM33]

Ellsbury

Pedroia

Gonzales

Youkilis

Ortiz

Ross

Crawford

Aviles

Salty

 

 

This is the ideal lineup, hands down. It goes L-R-L all the way through, with a switch hitter at the end.

 

The top 5 are self-explanatory. Putting Ross at 6 prevents Crawford from getting cramped on the basepaths. Aviles hits for average but never walks, which will give him the chance to advance Crawford, and Salty hits for slug, but not OBP, which will do well to drive both Crawford and Aviles home-- since Aviles is pretty fast too. It fits very well, and if it weren't for the "rebuild Crawford's confidence" argument, I'd bet it would be widely agreed upon.

 

We are all really just guessing what will happen. Valentine is a nut though, so I expect something that none of us are banking on.

 

Not saying I agree with it, but a lineup of:

 

Pedroia

Crawford

Ellsbury

Youkilis

Gonzalez

Ortiz

Ross

Salty

Aviles

 

Would not exactly surprise me. Valentine is not a traditional manager, which means a non-traditional approach (alternating R-L matchups) is not out of the realm.

[mvp 78]

There's no way Gonzo bats lower than 4th.

[Thunder]

Ellsbury has too much power to lead off.

Aviles

Pedroia

Gonzalez

Ortiz

Ellsbury

Youkills

Crawford

Salty

Ross

[The Boomer]

For those who have Crawford batting 6-7th, would you have honestly put him there at the beginning of last season? If not, then you may be giving 2011 too much weight because it's just happened.

[Palodios]

We are all really just guessing what will happen. Valentine is a nut though, so I expect something that none of us are banking on.

 

Well, the topic was about the lineup who I think would be the best, and that is my optimal one.

 

It just fits. You really can't at bats away from Ells/Pedroia/Gonzalez. You can't put Crawford directly behind Ortiz/Gonzo/Youk. I'd argue that Ross is a good enough hitter to protect Ortiz, and is a little bit faster than the guys in front of him. And if you have a mediocre switch-hitter, who doesn't get on base but hits for power, that's a good guy to put in the 9 spot.

[seabeachfred]

Well, the topic was about the lineup who I think would be the best, and that is my optimal one.

 

It just fits. You really can't at bats away from Ells/Pedroia/Gonzalez. You can't put Crawford directly behind Ortiz/Gonzo/Youk. I'd argue that Ross is a good enough hitter to protect Ortiz, and is a little bit faster than the guys in front of him. And if you have a mediocre switch-hitter, who doesn't get on base but hits for power, that's a good guy to put in the 9 spot.

 

It's a good lineup Palodios, but my question is when do we use it because it looks like Crawford is going to be out for awhile and I wonder when he comes back and then in inserted into the batting order whether or not it will jumble things up. I still would like to see him hit second; just too damn bad he had to come up lame just when he's entering a make-up season for last year's less than stellar performance. I waiting to hear just how long he is going to be out this time.

[User Name]

Ellsbury has too much power to lead off.

Aviles

Pedroia

Gonzalez

Ortiz

Ellsbury

Youkills

Crawford

Salty

Ross

 

You have three lefties hitting in a row, and the second-best hitter in the team (Youk) hitting 6th.

[User Name]

For those who have Crawford batting 6-7th' date=' would you have honestly put him there at the beginning of last season? If not, then you may be giving 2011 too much weight because it's just happened.[/quote']

 

I liked the double leadoff hitter idea, right up until i saw his splits against lefties. He simply can't hit them, so he'd be cannon fodder hitting along with Ellsbury at the top of the order.

[Emmz]

Ellsbury has too much power to lead off.

Aviles

Pedroia

Gonzalez

Ortiz

Ellsbury

Youkills

Crawford

Salty

Ross

 

Aviles leading off? No please.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Going lefty-lefty at the top of the lineup when one of them can't him lefties is LOOGY heaven.

 

Except for the fact that Ellsbury OPS'd .841 vs LHP last season, so that theory goes to s***. It's not bad to go lefty lefty when one of the lefties hits LHP well. Which is why it's fine to go Gonzo - Ortiz, and which is why it's fine to go Ells - Craw - Pedey - Gonzo - Ortiz.

[User Name]

Except for the fact that Ellsbury OPS'd .841 vs LHP last season' date=' so that theory goes to s***. It's not bad to go lefty lefty when one of the lefties hits LHP well. Which is why it's fine to go Gonzo - Ortiz, and which is why it's fine to go Ells - Craw - Pedey - Gonzo - Ortiz.[/quote']

 

The problem is not Ellsbury, but Crawford. You're essentially giving the other team a freebie on a LOOGY.

 

Also, the "theory" doesn't go to s***. He still hit significantly lower against lefties than righties, meaning that by allowing a specialized reliever to pitch against him and Crawford (who cannot hit them) you're essentially tying yourself up unnecessarily.

 

I understand that you're a big Crawford fan, but your fandom of the guy shouldn't blind you to the guy's flaws. Those who advocate his hitting at the top of the lineup really don't have a leg to stand on.

[SoxFanForsyth]

The problem is not Ellsbury, but Crawford. You're essentially giving the other team a freebie on a LOOGY.

 

Also, the "theory" doesn't go to s***. He still hit significantly lower against lefties than righties, meaning that by allowing a specialized reliever to pitch against him and Crawford (who cannot hit them) you're essentially tying yourself up unnecessarily.

 

I understand that you're a big Crawford fan, but your fandom of the guy shouldn't blind you to the guy's flaws. Those who advocate his hitting at the top of the lineup really don't have a leg to stand on.

 

So what's the difference between the LOOGY facing him at 2nd and the LOOGY facing him at 7th?

 

By this logic, he's a free out anywhere in the lineup with a LOOGY. And regardless of whether Ells hits better vs LHP or RHP, you can't just say that he's at a disadvantage against LOOGY's just because he has elite stats vs RHP. By that logic, Pedroia is at a disadvantage against all RHP.

 

And the leg to stand on is 2,500 AB of .303/.346/.460 in the 2 hole.

 

Plain and simple - You don't move a guy away from somewhere that he has had career success just because of a stupid LOOGY. That's ridiculous. Otherwise Ortiz wouldn't be a good hitter, Gonzo shouldn't have hit in the top of the order in 2009, etc.

[SoxFanForsyth]

And by the way, he's a career .262 hitter vs LHP with a .310 OBP. It's not great, but by no means is it a reason to move him down in the order just because of 1 potential AB. Especially when 70% of his at bats come against RHP.

 

Moving him down purely based on 30% of his at bats is just ridiculous. It really is.

[Spudboy]

I liked having Pedroia hitting 3rd last year and I like it this year too. If Crawford can become a dangerous hitter again this would be a fine lineup as far as I'm concerned.

 

X2.

 

Crawford in lead-off is a mistake. Ellsbury all the way in the one slot.