Howard Cole looks at a potential Dodgers batting order with Brian Dozier at second base. He makes the bold move of batting Joc Pederson leadoff:
Andrew Toles is a better match for the leadoff role (.365 L.A. on base percentage in 2016, .348 lifetime OBP in minors) and more than one of my colleagues expects Dave Roberts to go that route. But I don’t buy the notion that Andre Ethier will see much action in right field going forward, and he shouldn’t. My guess is Ethier gets the nod in left, with Yasiel Puig in right to start the season against all comers, and Toles coming off the bench.
And if that’s how it shakes out — minus a trade for genuine leadoff man Ian Kinsler to play second base — Pederson, with his .349 career OBP, is the guy.
I like that, too. Pederson is a high strikeout, high power hitter, but he also does a great job of getting on base. The strikeouts won’t cost much at the top of the order, as fewer runners will be on base. He’ll lead-off a number of games with home runs as well.
The Lineup Analysis Tool (LAT) likes Pederson, too. That’s based on the 2017 Musings Marcels. Note the Marcels rate Yasiel Puig higher than Cole does. At his age, there’s still potential for Puig to be a great hitter.
from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2hSMdKf
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