Unless Votto moves to a middle infield position or center field, I doubt he will be batting second. ;)
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Unless Votto moves to a middle infield position or center field, I doubt he will be batting second. ;)
Leave him alone
I said when he came off the DL, because he was hitting well but lacking power, that he should be moved to hitting second and I still think that. We need guys to get on base. And he would less likely get pitched around batting second.
Dusty likes the lefty righty thing in the lineup, so here's what it should be with options:
2B Phillips
1B Votto
C Hanigan
RF Bruce
3B Frazier/Rolen
LF Ludwick
CF Heisey
SS Cozart
Or flip Hanigan and Heisey. And flip Frazier/Rolen with Ludwick. Go with the hot bats.
Hanigan in the third spot is about as potent as a kitten , just a terrible idea, especially when one realizes he gets an EBH once every 23 abs
Hannigan batting 3rd, Ludwick batting 6th?
Votto doesn't have the power to bat 3rd, but Hannigan does?
Hannigan would be lucky to have a .280/.350/.350/.700 slash line batting 3rd. He has 59 EBH in his career, or about what Votto will have in 2012.
If Baker did that we'd run him out of town.
Hence flip flopping him with Heisey.
But Hanigan, next to Votto, is probably our best situational hitter.
Ludwick is in a huge slump, hence dropping him to 6th.
It's better than the CFer and SS always bat near the top of the lineup crap.
I wouldn't want Heisey hitting 3rd either.
Ludwick in a slump? He's out hit Hanigan and Heisey by a large margin in September.
Hanigan our next best situational hitter? Based on what? He's poor with runners in scoring position, and with two outs is been particularly poor (.546 OPS-he's had 2 hits this year in that situation-his .546 is based almost entirely in walking him to get to the pitcher).
Hanigan is a valuable hitter batting 8th as he will accept the walk and turn the lineup over by getting the pitcher up. But when pitchers have to pitch to him, he's an OK bat but certainly not someone you really want up there with the game on the line.
These are real players who are accustomed to the roles that certain slots face in the day to day lineup, moving them around based on small sets of data for a playoff game is Bob Boonerific
Votto less than 100% is still better than anyone else they could put into the third spot. Yes he should bat third.
Sure, he hasn't homered since he returned, but I don't think we need to be worried about his power just yet. He himself talks about how power is a "process" for him -- and how he's not one of those hitters who just accidentally hits the ball out of the park. He's hitting line drives now, I think, which is what counts. In any case, I'm confident he'll be going full tilt by the time the games really count again.
I don't care what the stats say on Ludwick. The guy I've seen this month has struggled most of the time.
Votto should have always been batting 2nd. Until they get a legit cleanup hitter, he's been wasted in the 3-hole for most of his career.