Lineup Ideas

by MisterEK on Jan 27, 2012 9:14 PM EST

I know there has been just a touch of work done on this but I have an IDEA. Okay before you guys going who the blankedy blank is this MisterEK, well I am big poster over that Lions blog site and I been following the highs and really low lows of the Tigers since uhm Cecil, Trammel, and Matt Nokes was on this team. Talk about some old timers now. In any case the news of Fielder signing was awesome for me as it just happened to be one of the best Birthday presents the Tigers could give me. Hey it broke on the 24th and wow it is nice present.

In any case here is my thoughts on the Lineup. First is we should run out two types of lineups. One for Left Handed Pitchers and one for Right Handed pitchers. Doing so would drive most teams batty and get them going whiskey tango foxtrot are we going to do to beat the Tigers.

So what should we do is first look at our roster and see who is not replaceble and see who can be switched.

1B - Prince Fielder - Left Handed

2B - Ramon Santiago - Switch Hitter

SS - Jhonny Peralta - Right Handed

3B - Miguel Cabrera - Right Handed

C - Alex Avila - Left Handed

RF - Brennan Boesch - Left Handed

CF - Austin Jackson - Right Handed

LF - Delmon Young - Right Handed

DH - Danny Worth - Right Handed, Ryan Raburn - Right Handed, Andy Dirks - Left Handed, Don Kelly - Left Handed

Now with 4 options at DH and the usual moves that could be made here is my thoughts.

For Right Handed Pitchers we go with 4 Lefties in the Lineup with Ramon Switch hitting to Left.

1 - Brennan Boesch -RF (LH) .336 OBP .189 Strike Out Percentage (SOP)

2 - Jhonny Peralta - SS (RH) .357 OBP .160 SOP

3 - Don Kelly - DH (LH) .299 OBP .110 SOP

4 - Miguel Cabrera - 3B (RH) .444 OBP .153 SOP

5 - Prince Fielder - 1B (LH) .435 OBP .165 SOP

6 - Delmon Young - LF (RH) .265 OBP .202 SOP

7 - Ramon Santiago - 2B (S) .301 OBP .139 SOP

8 - Austin Jackson - CF (RH) .308 OBP .301 SOP

9 - Alex Avila - C (LH) .403 OBP .280 SOP

Now there is going to be some to say why are not using Rayburn for Young against RH pitchers the simple thing is Young as you see strikes out at 2 out 10 at bats where as Rayburn is over 3 for every 10 at bats. I want somebody who the other team has to watch. As for having Alex so far down well he is a catcher and rather use him the least amount as possible as his main focus has to be with the pitcher and not batting. Now lets see what I would do for the Left Handed Pitchers.

1 - Delmon Young - LF (RH) .391 OBP .114 SOP

2 - Brennan Boesch -RF (LH) .356 OBP .208 SOP

3 - Ramon Santiago - 2B (S) .352 OBP .180 SOP

4 - Prince Fielder - 1B (LH) .363 OBP .235 SOP

5 - Miguel Cabrera - 3B (RH) .459 OBP .163 SOP

6 - Andy Dirks - DH (LH) .323 OBP .065 SOP

7 - Jhonny Peralta - SS (RH) .318 OBP .233 SOP

8 - Alex Avila - C (LH) .349 OBP .289 SOP

9 - Austin Jackson - CF (RH) .335 OBP .318 SOP

Now this was a tough one to figure out. First is I do not want to see Miguel batting in the 1 to 3 holes. I want him below that. Since there is roughly 40 some games that you will see this lineup I have no issues with him going back to the 5 hole to protect Prince. I was just thinking that if Andy Dirks doesn't work out how about this idea I know its crazy but Inge is actually a decent batter against Lefties. So how about this line up if you guys hate that one.

1 - Delmon Young - LF (RH) .391 OBP .114 SOP

2 - Brennan Boesch -RF (LH) .356 OBP .208 SOP

3 - Jhonny Peralta - SS (RH) .318 OBP .233 SOP

4 - Prince Fielder - 1B/DH (LH) .363 OBP .235 SOP

5 - Miguel Cabrera - 3B/1B/DH (RH) .459 OBP .163 SOP

6 - Ramon Santiago - 2B (S) .352 OBP .180 SOP

7 - Brandon Inge 3B/DH (RH) .339 OBP .183 SOP

8 - Alex Avila - C (LH) .349 OBP .289 SOP

9 - Austin Jackson - CF (RH) .335 OBP .318 SOP

Now this allows some flexibility as well. You could put Inge there for 40 games at 3rd Base with Miguel and Prince doing DH for 20 of each of those games. Needless to say its another crazy idea from me. So what do you guys think.

Okay here is the new info I found. So here is my thoughts. First is I want the opposing pitcher to work harder. As a result I want the guys who have a higher OBP with a higher PPA to be higher on the batting order. However I still feel that Avilia should not be batting above C & F. I also want those two guys to be in the middle of the order versus the top of the order or the bottom (Who would ever bat C & F at the bottom is beyond me). So here is the stat link for the Left Handed at Bats. Look at them to make sure I am following my method properly.

vs Left Handed Pitcher lineup

1 - Delmon Young - LF (RH) .391 OBP 3.89 PPA

2 - Brennan Boesch -RF (LH) .356 OBP 3.59 PPA

3 - Austin Jackson - CF (RH) .335 OBP 4.07 PPA

4 - Prince Fielder - 1B/DH (LH) .363 OBP 3.73 PPA

5 - Miguel Cabrera - 1B/DH (RH) .459 OBP 4.09 PPA

6 - Alex Avila - C (LH) .349 OBP 4.18 PPA

7 - Brandon Inge 3B (RH) .339 OBP 3.75 PPA

8 - Ramon Santiago - 2B (S) .352 OBP 3.53 PPA

9 - Jhonny Peralta - SS (RH) .318 OBP 3.92 PPA

I don't know. I do not like this but its the best I could come up with. I would like Raburn in there instead of Peralta but that would mean putting Raburn in at 2nd and Santiago at SS. Not sure if that would work or not. The nice thing is the opposing team brings out a Righty to face this line up you just take Sub out Inge for a RH bat and it still gives you 4 Left handed bats against the righty.

Now for the Right Handed Pitchers.

1 - Brennan Boesch -RF (LH) .336 OBP 3.72 PPA

2 - Jhonny Peralta - SS (RH) .357 OBP 3.78 PPA

3 - Alex Avila - C (LH) .403 OBP 3.97 PPA

4 - Miguel Cabrera - 3B (RH) .444 OBP 3.57 PPA

5 - Prince Fielder - 1B (LH) .435 OBP 3.73 PPA

6 - Austin Jackson - CF (RH) .308 OBP 3.91 PPA

7 - Ramon Santiago - 2B (S) .301 OBP 3.54 PPA

8 - Ryan Raburn - LF (RH) .283 OBP 3.82 PPA

9 - Don Kelly - DH (LH) .299 OBP 3.72 PPA

Well I was debating about putting Alex at the 3 spot. I ended up switching him and Austin around so Alex is at the 3 spot. The simple thing is with that lineup we can pretty much put a runner on base with 2 outs with Cabrera batting. The means the pitcher could either pitch around him to face Fielder and then Austin and try to work Austin with a Bases Loaded in the 1st inning. That would mean the pitcher would be around 24 pitches by the time the 2nd inning comes around if he gets Jackson out. The other nice thing is if they actually pitch to Fielder and he clears the bases Austin is a good base runner and that gives Ramon and Ryan a good chance of getting on base as well. The thing is that this lineup would work well for for National League parks as well. I also think Don could be replaced by Delmon if a lefty comes in.

Well that is it for the edit.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Bless You Boys writing staff.

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Comments

Why are the guys who can field...

…playing DH while Delmon “birds shit on me because i’m a statue” plays the OF?

by Thorpac on Jan 28, 2012 1:01 AM EST reply actions

Better batter

Okay ask me this where did St Louis fit in for defense stats. I was told that they had the 5th lowest feilding percentage in the Majors last year and guess what they did last year. Hmm I think it was a World Series victory.

by MisterEK on Jan 28, 2012 1:04 AM EST up reply actions

Some more info on Feilder %

I love stats and hey baseball has them. In any case I went back to 2000 and checked each WS victor and where they sat for Fielding percentage.

Best in Fielding won 1 championship
2nd won 2 championships
3rd won 1 championship
4rh won 1 championship
6th won 1 championship
10th won 1 championship
12th won 1 championship
14th won 1 championship
16th won 1 championship
and 22nd (I think it was 9th from bottom) won 2 championships.

So what does this mean. Frankly you just have be an average fielding team. Being in the top 10 does give you a shot as well. But the bottom line is do not be a bad fielding team. Do I think we will be a bad fielding team, I do not think so. I think we will have a decent if not good fielding team. I will say this fielding percentage has some basis but I still think having good pitchers and a good bat will do wonders. If you get 3 solid starting pitchers with a solid bullpen and a powerful offense what is the point of having defense at that point if they will not be able to hit on your pitchers.

by MisterEK on Jan 28, 2012 1:41 AM EST reply actions

I think he's Jim Leyland

Just here to test our patience for when he actually puts Don Kelly in the #3 spot at some point next season.

Detroit4Lyfe

by Rob Rogacki on Jan 28, 2012 8:14 AM EST reply actions 2 recs

What?

Avila 9th, young leadoff and Kelly third. Just no.

"I will play tomorrow unless I am dead when I wake up" - Victor Martinez

by vifinn on Jan 28, 2012 2:21 PM EST reply actions

Why would you hit a guy with a 300 OBP

third but a guy with a 380 on ninth? You hit your ebst hitter third and that’s Cabby, not Santi or Kelly, both are good bench guys but you can’t hit them third.

"I will play tomorrow unless I am dead when I wake up" - Victor Martinez

by vifinn on Jan 28, 2012 2:22 PM EST up reply actions

Let's put this in a context that you, Mr. Lions fan guy, would understand

You have basically put Ndamukong Suh at linebacker, Matthew Stafford at running back, and Calvin Johnson at right tackle.

Detroit4Lyfe

by Rob Rogacki on Jan 28, 2012 3:09 PM EST reply actions 5 recs

hahaha...

very good comparison

Did we really just sign Prince Fielder? Holllllllllly sh*t.

by tigers22 on Jan 28, 2012 5:41 PM EST up reply actions

I love the fact that Raburn is misspelled the entire time.

by 13194013 on Jan 29, 2012 1:32 PM EST up reply actions

I don't even...

What a terrible set of lineups!

by InLeylandWeTrust on Jan 29, 2012 12:03 AM EST reply actions

This is quickly becoming my favorite .gif

Detroit4Lyfe

by Rob Rogacki on Jan 29, 2012 12:43 AM EST reply actions 1 recs

What show is that from?

"You, on the other hand, make Eeyore look like Rainbow Brite." -johnmoz

"I think of you more as the blue book style essay of sports journalism."-Kurt Mensching

by David Tokarz on Jan 29, 2012 2:27 AM EST up reply actions

I thought you determined it was from Firefly?

I googled “Firefly gif” and this came up.

Detroit4Lyfe

by Rob Rogacki on Jan 29, 2012 8:53 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Huh

I don’t remember that from the show…

"You, on the other hand, make Eeyore look like Rainbow Brite." -johnmoz

"I think of you more as the blue book style essay of sports journalism."-Kurt Mensching

by David Tokarz on Jan 30, 2012 11:19 AM EST up reply actions

Still pretty sure it is from Castle

by wilsonm24 on Jan 31, 2012 2:01 PM EST up reply actions

It is spelled R-A-B-U-R-N

Seriously, it isn’t that difficult!

by 13194013 on Jan 29, 2012 1:31 PM EST reply actions

I'm not sure what's worse....

…that you might be trying this hard to troll, or that you’re really serious.

Do you think Fielder can pitch? I hear Babe Ruth did a really good job as a SP

Baseball is like a poker game, nobody wants to quit when he's losing: nobody wants you to quit when you're ahead. ~Jackie Robinson

by LittleLeagueTiger on Jan 29, 2012 10:13 PM EST reply actions

Okay first and foremost

I had a rough couple of days at work two long shifts back to back and did not have time to reply back. Second is I typically do not hunt and peck when I type so I can misspell some names on occasions. I will edit the post to get those two names that are not hot linked to be hot linked ie misspelled. In any case some thoughts from the writer.

First as I said I do not troll I was serious when I put this up. Second I am do not like people who strike out. I rather make the defense at least work a little if it is a ground out plus there is always the chance of an error. So that is why the players with higher Strike out percentage are lower on the batting. Next the topic of our catcher Avilia. Yes he is listed at the 8 or 9 spot. That simple because as I stated I want him to focus on catching ie the catcher-pitcher work than hitting all of the time.

Another issue is you guys are complaining about Don Kelly. Here is the deal I am looking for a 4th Lefty to bat against RH pitchers. Right now we do not have a person that fits the bill outside of Kelly. If you can find somebody who would do a better job against RH pitchers who is LH on the roster let me know. I would like to take a look. In any case those are my thoughts.

by MisterEK on Jan 30, 2012 3:42 AM EST reply actions

You're looking at the line up entirely through personal bias instead of via performance.

My thoughts on Ks (strike outs) is that the pitcher has to at least throw 3 strikes, which is better than a one pitch – one out at bat (IE Delmon Young). What you completely neglect is that some players have low K percentages because they swing at everything and make crappy contact and get out fast. Relying on one so-so stat is not a good way to make a line up.

A batting order isn’t dictated by strike out rate – it is dictated by ability. Avila won’t be served by batting lower in the order and to say so is to discount the work he’s put in to improve.

Having multiple left handed bats against a right handed pitcher is good, in theory, unless that left handed bat is not very good. Don Kelly should not be getting at bats. Right handed batters have been hitting against right handed pitchers a very long time and are pretty good at it – so much so they don’t have to be benched. By going entirely with handedness you weaken an already poor line up.

Miguel batting 3rd means he gets more AB and more AB means he gets more chances to impact a game.

by 13194013 on Jan 30, 2012 2:09 PM EST reply actions

True enough

In any case I understand what you are saying for pitch count. I wonder if there is any stats out there for the number pitches per at bat. If you happen to find any stats like give me a buzz I would love to see what they look like.

by MisterEK on Jan 30, 2012 5:39 PM EST up reply actions

I don't like 1 pitch outs or strike outs

I completely agree with you about Avila and almost everything else.

But just to get one thing clear,
Delmon Young averages 3.45 pitches per PA.

In contrast,
Robinson Cano averages 3.43 pitches per PA
The MLB average for a hitter is 3.8 pitchers per PA
The best in the majors is Curtis Granderson with 4.44 pitches per PA
The 2nd best is Adam Dunn with 4.40 pitches per PA

There’s a lot of middle ground between a 1 pitch AB and 3.4 pitch AB. I think it’s more about the quality (or the ability like you said) of the hitter, not about the # of pitches seen. A 1st pitch fastball is sometimes the most hittable pitch a batter will see in an AB. Miguel Cabrera leads the team in 1st pitch AB’s , so I’m not going to hold that against him.

Not sure what I’m getting at here. I lost my train of thought.

by Keith-Allen on Jan 30, 2012 10:08 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah, I didn't look up the PA but knowing how selective Delmon is, I figured he had some stinkers.

by 13194013 on Jan 31, 2012 2:33 AM EST up reply actions

Well here is some new thoughts.

I found a stat site that has total pitches per plate apperance. Needless to say that is a better gauge than the SO per plate appeance. So I will be adjusting the lineup accordingly. Now I just have to see if they have for LH vs RH.

by MisterEK on Jan 31, 2012 6:41 PM EST reply actions