Friday, April 1, 2016

Where to Bat LeMahieu

The Rockies are thinking of batting D.J. LaMehieu eighth, but if they are going to bat him low in the order, it really should be ninth. On hitting eighth:

“Your numbers are going to take a hit in that spot,” Weiss said. “And you’ll have to hit tough pitches a lot, because they won’t come right at you. So a lot of times you have to hit the pitcher’s pitch. DJ has a great feel for those things. It’s not a fun spot to hit in. But he’s a team guy, first and foremost.”

LeMahieu has a keen understanding, Weiss said, for knowing when to expand his strike zone to chase a pitch and drive in a run and when to shrink the zone to draw a walk and turn over the lineup. He can sense before the move is made when a pinch hitter might come to bat behind him.

I do like this explanation as to why LeMahieu works in the eighth hole, but I’d rather see him as a secondary lead-off hitter, so his ability to get on base sets up the top of the order for more RBI.



from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/1UxeyFw

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