Just wondering if there's data that explains that #3 hitter statement? If clubs want their best hitters to bat most often, then why would the #3 hit with no one on base and two outs more than anyone else? If teams bat their best hitters as much as possible, compared to where they bat their worst ('03 batting champ Bill Mueller as the exception), it doesn't make sense.
Is it because all the #2 Aaron Judges clean up the bases before #3 has a chance, or because they're putting Luis Aparicio and sub-.300 ON BASE % types at the top because they can run (like Boston did)?
I've said this before, but if I'm CBO, I make it a priority of getting a RHH power bat to protect Devers, no matter where he bats. Sure there are many more immediate needs for the franchise, but the Red Sox also have to protect their most expensive longterm investment...
... if Raffy feels he has to hit 5-run homers for the next five years, his shoulder and back won't last much longer. But Boston will still have to pay him kajillions, either way.