Braves Projected Lineup

[Chico]

I actually like Harris in the 9 spot, cause he doesn’t wanna take a walk and nobody wants to walk him.

[thewupk]

Can’t help but think Harris will be 9th almost nightly, not that I agree with it.

Meh. Harris would be a top of the lineup hitter on like 25 other teams. The reality is this lineup is unfair and hitting 9th isn't a big deal. I suspect him or JK will be there most of the year.

[cajunrevenge]

I think Harris will force the issue with a strong year. If he comes out the gate hitting like he did in the second half I think it will be hard to avoid the temptation to put him and Acuna 1/2 in the lineup.

[thewupk]

I think Harris will force the issue with a strong year. If he comes out the gate hitting like he did in the second half I think it will be hard to avoid the temptation to put him and Acuna 1/2 in the lineup.

Would take a prolonged Albies or whoever is hitting 2nd slump to force a lineup change imo. Snit and company don't do changes if something is working.

[BabyElle]

Just don't move Riley and Olson out of the 3 and 4 spot. So, if Harris moves to 2nd (which I don't like unless Albies is in a bad slump) then Albies will have to move to a low lineup spot.

[CyYoung31]

Just don't move Riley and Olson out of the 3 and 4 spot. So, if Harris moves to 2nd (which I don't like unless Albies is in a bad slump) then Albies will have to move to a low lineup spot.

Albies should be in a middle of the order spot since he’s got more power than anyone else outside of Acuña-Riley-Olson and doesn’t get on base at a great clip.

[mfree80]

I would love to see Harris progress enough to move into the 2 slot. Barring that I say keep him 9th. Seems more strategic than burying him lower in the order.

I would like to see Harris 2nd and Ozzie 5th. If they bring in a lhp to face Olson, then it is likely that Ozzie sees him as well.

[BabyElle]

Albies should be in a middle of the order spot since he’s got more power than anyone else outside of Acuña-Riley-Olson and doesn’t get on base at a great clip.

Albies 5 spot or Ozuna?

[BabyElle]

I would love to see Harris progress enough to move into the 2 slot. Barring that I say keep him 9th. Seems more strategic than burying him lower in the order.

I would like to see Harris 2nd and Ozzie 5th. If they bring in a lhp to face Olson, then it is likely that Ozzie sees him as well.

The problem with Harris is that he only had 25 BB last year. Where does that put him in the lineup?

[mfree80]

Ninth, unless he progresses enough to justify 2nd.

To be fair, Ozzie doesn’t walk much either.

[Enscheff]

Ninth, unless he progresses enough to justify 2nd.

To be fair, Ozzie doesn’t walk much either.

So a guy should be batting #9, and if he gets better he should bat #2? Move from the least important spot to the most important spot, and gain 100+ PAs? Do we not realize a batter bad enough to bat 9th is almost certainly not good enough to ever bat 2nd? Like....never. The days of Lemke batting 9th and 2nd as if they are equivalent spots in the order should have died 20 years ago.

The best hitters on the team need to bat most often, period. Harris belongs in the middle of the order. Albies belongs in the middle of the order. The only possible way they should bat higher is when Harris faces a RHP and Albies faces a LHP, so they work well in a platoon in the 3rd spot (which is the 4th or 5th most important spot behind 2, 1, 4, and possibly 5).

As long as Kelenic/Arcia his 8/9 to start the year, and Acuna/Olson/Riley hit at the top, the exact order isn't important at all. But Albies is NOT an everyday top of the lineup guy.

[mfree80]

So a guy should be batting #9, and if he gets better he should bat #2? Move from the least important spot to the most important spot, and gain 100+ PAs? Do we not realize a batter bad enough to bat 9th is almost certainly not good enough to ever bat 2nd? Like....never. The days of Lemke batting 9th and 2nd as if they are equivalent spots in the order should have died 20 years ago.

The best hitters on the team need to bat most often, period. Harris belongs in the middle of the order. Albies belongs in the middle of the order. The only posssible way they should bat higher is when Harris faces a RHP and Albies faces a LHP, so they work well in a platoon in the 3rd spot (which is the 4th or 5th most important spot behind 2, 1, 4, and possibly 5).

I figured you would show up on this one. If you believe that ninth should always be reserved for the worst hitter, then fine. But, I am looking at the already mentioned strategy of having Harris bat ahead of Ronald. We can dispute their rationale, but they do have a reason for what they do, even if we don’t always see it or agree.

I have a vivid memory of you attacking Snit for batting Acuña first, robbing the team of runs because nobody was on base for his homers. It was enjoyable watching him become a great leadoff hitter.

[Enscheff]

I figured you would show up on this one. If you believe that ninth should always be reserved for the worst hitter, then fine. But, I am looking at the already mentioned strategy of having Harris bat ahead of Ronald. We can dispute their rationale, but they do have a reason for what they do, even if we don’t always see it or agree.

I have a vivid memory of you attacking Snit for batting Acuña first, robbing the team of runs because nobody was on base for his homers. It was enjoyable watching him become a great leadoff hitter.

So you attempted a gotcha moment by completely misunderstanding why leadoff batters bat with fewer runners on base. Here's a hint: it isn't because the #9 hitters are bad...it's because they are guaranteed to bat with the bases empty 162 times a year at the start of a game. And here's another fun fact: the quality of the #9 hitter has exactly zero impact on the fact the leadoff hitter bats 162 times with the bases empty to start the game.

Moving Acuna down to the 2 spot costs him roughly 17 PAs over the entire season. Putting a guy with a .350 OBP in front of him turns those 162 bases empty PAs into 56-57 PAs with a man on base. I won't bother arguing either way...your own math skills can decide for you.

And Acuna turned into a great leadoff hitter because he's a great hitter who would be great at any slot in the lineup.

Oh, and the 8th hitter is actually the least important spot, so I stand corrected there.

[mfree80]

I completely understand the point you are making, and nothing you said here changes my point.

There are reasons teams do what they do. Number of AB’s is a valid one. There are other strategic reasons for doing things differently. Some we can surmise, and some we won’t ever know about.

[Enscheff]

Teams who set their lineups in unoptimized ways do so because the managers are mostly dinosaurs, and the FOs realize it's not a battle worth having. Snit's reason for batting Albies 2nd is stupidity, and nothing more. Batting Harris 9th rather than higher up so he can be a "second leadoff hitter" is equally stupid dinosaur thinking that the FO most likely isn't too worried about correcting. But that doesn't make the reason legit...it just makes it not a big enough deal to address and cause an issue with the clubhouse.

[Enscheff]

A quick check with the lineup optimizer shows Acuna's .400+ OBP in the absence of any other high OBP batter (The Braves have a bunch of .350 guys with good power) is too valuable in the leadoff slot to move down any further.

If someone with lesser power like Harris or Murphy or Albies could boost their OBP to .360+ they would become a better leadoff option with Acuna best suited for the 2 slot.

[Chico]

If we’re playing Kelenik every day, there’s a good chance he’s our #9 this year. Harris can fit well in between the righties in the 5-7 range