Stick to your guns.
Everyone's mimicking the genius.
If this is going to be in vogue throughout the division, maybe Corey Patterson can be the Reds' #9 hitter?
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
I see the argument they're trying to make. But I can't stop thinking about the number of plate appearances this is going to cost a guy like Kendall. If they're sold on his versatility with the bat, why take it out of his hand several dozen times a year?
I can see the sense in flipping the 8 and 9 guys, just because it will give the top of the order more chances to drive in runs, but why take a guy from the top and move him all the way to the bottom? I'm sure there are some here much smarter than me that can explain it. I'm just at a loss.
I'm just like everybody else. I have two arms, two legs and 4,000 hits."
-Pete Rose
If the theory is that the worst hitter on your team should bat 8th, isn't that the perfect spot for Kendall?
Dunn should bat 9th. All those solo homers would just make it a perfect +1 run spot.
redsrule2500
Go Reds!
“I’m a normal guy blessed with the ability to hit a baseball.” - Sean Casey
Bravo Ned Yost. Yost, Bob Melvin (bullpen usage), Manny Acta (OBP emphasis & approach). It's happening slowly, but analytically derived strategies are finding advocates in active managers. It's interesting to me the way in which analytical people are labeled by certain people -- be it respectful or hostile.
"You've had a lot of smart people looking at it and crunching numbers and seeing if, numbers-wise, it made sense."
Those smart people decided that batting Kendall ninth, a departure from the conventional baseball wisdom of batting the pitcher in the final spot, did make sense. They thought it gave the Brewers an edge, which should translate into an opportunity to score more runs.
"More runs means more wins," Yost said. "Sometimes, you've gotta get outside the box a little bit."
Games are won on run differential -- scoring more than your opponent. Runs are runs, scored or prevented they all count the same. Worry about scoring more and allowing fewer, not which positions contribute to which side of the equation or how "consistent" you are at your current level of performance.
Games are won on run differential -- scoring more than your opponent. Runs are runs, scored or prevented they all count the same. Worry about scoring more and allowing fewer, not which positions contribute to which side of the equation or how "consistent" you are at your current level of performance.
As if this is a new wave? Managers have always been thinking through things and looking at numbers to make decisions, obviously at varying levels. This isn't a new thing, its just publicized more because of places like this. One of our very own, known as "Captain Hook" wrote the book on modern bullpen usage patterns with the BRM, just as one example.
If your pitcher is likely to go only five and bat maybe once, I can maybe see the strategy. Otherwise, jeesh...
"I am your child from the future. I'm sorry I didn't tell you this earlier." - Dylan Easton
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