Power Pros Forum

I saw a thread under 2007 about lineups, and it made me think to ask your opinion on the following:

You know how in general, lineups in real life start with the fast contact hitters, then move to the powerful hitters, and then whoever's left bats 8 & 9?

In this game, I'm thinking that the slower contact hitters - I mean guys with a CON of D or C, PWR of D or E, and SPD of D-F should bat early in the lineup. With the C/D CON level, they'll get on base and the power guys will hit HRs or doubles to drive them in. With the power guys often starting off at 2nd base from a double, the 6-9 hitters can be the faster guys and the power folks won't slow them down. Then, if the faster guys get on base, they're more likely to score off what the weaker first few batters hit. If it was reversed (fast guys bat 1st, slower guys bat last) then the slow guys get on base in front of the speadsters and mitigates their speed.

When I have 2 batters with a CON of C and PWR of C or less, I put the slower one up front and the faster one in back and it's worked out pretty well.

Your thoughts?

I've never really though about trying that before, I just use this as a general rule.

1. Fastest player, unless a terrible hitter and someone with at least C speed is available.
2. Best contact with power at D or below.
3. Best contact with at least B power.
4. Best (or 2nd best if above is best) power.
5. Best overall hitter left with, ideally, C or higher power.
6. Best overall hitter left with, ideally, D or higher power.
7. Best overall hitter left. If equal, but opposite (i.e. D contact and C power vs. C contact and D power), player with more power of the two.
8. Best overall hitter left, unless needed for 9 spot (other player left is slow).
9. At least D speed.

Ok, had a really long post typed out, but right before I was done this iPhone keyboard decided to disappear, causing me to redirect to another page. So since I don't feel like doing it all again, I'll summarize.

Let's say only one of my two slow contact guys gets on with a single. Then power hitter hits a double. My slow guy can only advance to third, whereas my fast guy could have scored. And even though a really slow guy at the #8 or 9 spot could slow my fast guys down, if they're that low then they probably won't be getting on too much in the first place. Also if my fast guy are down in the lineup, then they'll be slowed up by my lumbering power hitters. With my teams, my power
Hitters are generally E-F speed, whereas my 8 or 9s can at least muster a D, if not better.

I don't think your idea is very practical with most teams, at least the style of teams I usually build, but in sspecial cases, maybe a great hitting team that has exactly 2 slow guys both with C+ contact, then I could see how this could potentially be effective. This may be how you are using it, I don't know, but again, I don't think it would work with most.

Ultimately, players batting higher in the order will get more at-bats. Therefore, it is essential to put your best hitters high in the order. Speed isn't as important as it may sound - the biggest difference in baseball is between being out and being on base. Everything else is trivial. As you can tell from your own post, it is very important to be on base - without that, speed is irrelevant.

Another consideration is the amount of power your sluggers have. If they are hitting lots of home runs, speed becomes even less important, is it doesn't matter whether the runner is on first or third if the batter homers.

You should be putting your best contact hitters in the 1-2 slots, and best power hitters in the 3-4 slots. From there on, the lineup should just proceed in order of batting ability. If some hitters are pretty close in ability, speed can be taken into consideration. Ideally, your leadoff hitter should have speed to 'ignite' the offense, because even the best power hitters can't hit doubles and homers all the time. But batting ability should always be the first and foremost consideration. (Also, pay attention to special abilities! Gd Eye, Patient Hitter, and Aggressive Hitter can make a big difference in On Base Percentage!)

I apreciate all the replies, guys, and have redone my lineup accordingly. In developing my players, for the guys who had low pwr & con, i've stressed con and then spd, at least til they get to a C, so now i generally have 3 or 4 players in a given lineup thatll have a c con and a c or lower pwr, and a c or higher spd. Im putting 2 or 3 of those guys @ the top of the order, with my B spd guys @ 1&2 and a C spd guy at 3 (bumping my pwr guys down a slot) and the other speed/contact guy @ 7 & 8.

The speed factor definitely helps the 8&9 guys drive in some runs.

FWIW, feel very blessed with my BJ Upton. Im in year 2 and he's got B pwr, B con, B spd. Seems perfect for my 2 slot, as he can drive in the 8&9 guys who got on before him and i like spacing him away from my pwr guys by an extra slot to give him more ti e to steal.