Pitcher Batting 8th???

[kaldaniels]

I just don't get it...what is the strategic gain to doing such a thing. I can understand bumping someone like Micah Owings up...but to do it on a regular basis with every pitcher...????

Is it a case of LaRussa and now Yost trying to look smarter than they are, or is there a true method to the madness?

[Boston Red]

I thought there was some sort of mathmatical evidence that batting the pitcher 8th led to something like an extra .001 run per game on average. Have to look that one up again, though.

[durl]

I've not researched the matter but I've wondered if it would be beneficial to have the pitcher batting 8th. If the #9 hitter gets on base more often, wouldn't that mean they'd have a chance of scoring with the top of the lineup behind them?

[Ludwig Reds Fan]

I never understood it either.

[texasdave]

It makes no sense to me to bat the pitcher 8th. I could be wrong. But if u stick a good obp man 9th to have an extra leadoff man, then why isnt he hitting higher up in the lineup in the first place? batting him 9th instead of 2nd almost guarantees him one less at-bat per game.

[EddieMilner]

It makes no sense to me to bat the pitcher 8th. I could be wrong. But if u stick a good obp man 9th to have an extra leadoff man, then why isnt he hitting higher up in the lineup in the first place? batting him 9th instead of 2nd almost guarantees him one less at-bat per game.

really? for that to be the case, doesn't that mean that the 8th batter must make the last out of the game almost (guaranteed) every game?

[Stephenk29]

I always thought it was really smart. Now you have a real hitter hitting in front of the top of your lineup. Wouldn't you rather have an every day player trying to get on base in front of the heart of your order? Most pitchers are sure bet outs, then you have 1 down already with the big guys coming up.

[kaldaniels]

I always thought it was really smart. Now you have a real hitter hitting in front of the top of your lineup. Wouldn't you rather have an every day player trying to get on base in front of the heart of your order? Most pitchers are sure bet outs, then you have 1 down already with the big guys coming up.

Isn't that your typical leadoff/#2 hitter though???

[Stephenk29]

Isn't that your typical leadoff/#2 hitter though???

Yeah but your 1 and 2 hitters are perfectly capable of driving in runs as well. Look at the Cubs, if they Soto hitting ahead of Soriano I look for him to at least have the potential to drive in more runs.

[757690]

Actually, the main reasoning behind this theory is that pitcher usually only gets two at bats per game, and is pinch hit for in most crucial situations, so it doesn't matter much where he bats.
This also only works if you have a high OBP and low SLG guy normally in the 8 hole. Putting him in the 9 hole creates a "second leadoff hitter". If he has a high SLG, you want him lower in the lineup.

The down side is that you make the 7 hole hitter a much worse hitter, since he will be walked or pitched around most of the time, just like the 8 hole hitter was. If you have a good 7 hole hitter, like Votto, then this is really stupid. It will be interesting how JJ Hardy adapts to this.

I think it all depends on your lineup, although it is really a whole lot of nothing either way. The Sabr guys say it adds at most 1.5 runs a year, most likely less than that.

[Newman4]

I think it probably depends on how much pop your leadoff and #2 have. My hypothesis is that the higher the SLG for the top of the order the more likely they will drive in the #9 if they get on. Just a wild guess.