If Dusty Played The Best Hitters ...

[Far East]

Here --based on OPS only -- is how the position players currently rank (with Micah Owings thrown in for comparison) and the defensive positions of the "top" 8 or 9 -- 9, if there is a platoon position in the OF:

1. Votto 1.091 1B

2. Phillips 0.850 2B

3. Gomes 0.832 OF

4. Nix 0.824 OF

5. Hanigan 0.783 C

6. Bruce 0.768 OF

7. Dickerson 0.726 OF

8. Hairston 0.700 3B

9. Janish 0.687 SS

10. Hernandez 0.665 BENCH

11. Rosales 0.618 BENCH

12. Gonzalez 0.559 BENCH

13. Taveras 0.545 BENCH

14. Owings .0.881 PH

When Joey returns, to get the top 8 OPS guys (of which there are at least 4 OFers) into the lineup, the platoon of Nix/Gomes (they do not have the best splits in the world) in LF might be needed. Who knows, Nix might hit southpaws better and Gomes righties if they got significantly more plate appearances.

Without a LF platoon, the OF becomes Gomes, Bruce, and Nix, with Bruce in CF. That weakens the OF defense, but Janish as SS instead of Gonzalez might be a defensive wash.

Taveras/Gonzalez become late inning defenders and they with Rosales and Hernandez occasional starters against southpaws -- unless and until any of them hit their way into the top 8 OPS list or any of the top 8 stop hitting.

Drastic times call for drastic measures??