Lineup Question Open

by californiachicagoan on Feb 18, 2009 4:21 PM CST Comment 41 comments

With this article, all bets are off now with the lineup. Soriano is saying he is ok with not batting leadoff at Lou's behest. This throws the doors wide open for the Cubbies batting order this year. Looks to me that The Riot will have the inside track unless/until his OBP falls off from last year's levels (or he racks up too many CS). If Dome comes back refreshed he could take the spot away from Ryan though, since he has the left handed thing going for him among our host of righty thunder. My first instinct is Lee 2nd, although there is the amazing number of GDIPs last year, so maybe not. Derrek came up with a novel way of dealing with that issue.

''I'll bat leadoff,'' Lee said. ''I really don't care.''

Umm, nah. In fact with all the quality bats, Soriano, Ramirez, Bradley, Soto ... heck even LBR, Lee may have to move down in the order. so here's my first cut at it.

VS Lefties

Theriot

Lee

Soriano

Bradley

Ramirez

Soto

LBR

VS Righties

LBR

Bradley

Ramirez

Soto

Lee

Soriano

Dome

Theriot

Assuming RJ/Dome platoon and LBR doesnt. Man that was hard. And I still have 4 righties in a row in that 2nd lineup. Hmm. Lou is gonna have a headache with this, but hopefully it is an embarassment of riches!

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

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um...no!!

The lefties one looks pretty good to me but, vs righties Bradley 2nd and Soriano 6th? You have already cracked open some Old Styles today havent you? Throw me a few

by Eric16 on Feb 18, 2009 4:37 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

After 2 years of complaining

That Sori shouldn’t be leadoff, well, she should be leadoff. This team just wouldn’t feel the same without it. I would be disappointed if he wasn’t batting 1st this year.

"Check the magic of a winning season and there are always reasons beyond the talent." Ned Colleti

by wrigleyrocker12 on Feb 18, 2009 4:39 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Yo, who you callin' "she"?

"You've got to earn winning your division. We won more games than anybody in the National League last year, and we're going to have a target on our back, so we've got to be ready.'' - Lou Piniella, 2/17/09

by dat cubfan daver on Feb 18, 2009 4:45 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

lol

It was a typo.

"Check the magic of a winning season and there are always reasons beyond the talent." Ned Colleti

by wrigleyrocker12 on Feb 18, 2009 4:52 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

no!

"Hats for bats.....keep bats warm." - Pedro Cerrano
"Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill !!!!!!!" - Eddie Harris

by willie mays hayes' gloves on Feb 18, 2009 4:53 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

and I thought it was a reference to me

proponent of the DO LOT LET SORIANO bad lead-off club.

"I daydream just like everybody else, I just do it with my body facing the field, so everybody thinks I'm paying attention."- Greg Maddux

by Doggie Stalker on Feb 18, 2009 5:43 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

And thus begins...

the onslaught of “how about this lineup” on BCB.

"Prince Fielder Dies Of Inside-The-Park Homerun" - The Onion

by DTJchris on Feb 18, 2009 4:51 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Sigh.

I was going to post something like “Congratulations! This is the 1,000,000th lineup post at BCB!”

But I’m too lazy to get the sarcasm graphic out.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Feb 18, 2009 4:52 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I knew as soon as Lou open up this can of worms, a new round of

lineup post would start. I was hoping everyone was as tired of them as I was, but I see that our energy for possible linup combinations never runs out. I suggest we put the names in a hat and let Erin Andrews draw them out at homeplate before each game. At least it would give us some reason to watch the pre-game activities.

"Hats for bats.....keep bats warm." - Pedro Cerrano
"Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill !!!!!!!" - Eddie Harris

by willie mays hayes' gloves on Feb 18, 2009 4:59 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Hey!

Maybe that’s what she’s doing here:

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Feb 18, 2009 5:03 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

is she the new locker room attendant?

taking dinner orders

Piniella: "This is a tougher job than I thought it would be, I'm going to be honest with you."

by Ivy Walls on Feb 18, 2009 6:24 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Staying on topic here:

"I lof to hit de home ron!"

by Tekboy on Feb 18, 2009 7:00 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Notes on a photo.

1. Is she wearing shoes?

2. What is Quade staring at?

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Feb 18, 2009 7:25 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

3. What is she staring at?

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Feb 18, 2009 7:26 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I know

what I am staring at!

"I lof to hit de home ron!"

by Tekboy on Feb 18, 2009 7:30 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

her shoes?

"I like coconuts, you can break them open and they smell like ladies lying in the sun" Widespread Panic

by Cubbie-Tim on Feb 18, 2009 7:32 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

quade

is staring at her get-a-away sticks—yeah right!!!

I dont care who the new owner is as long as he/she/them come equipped with a Jake Peavy and a Joe Beimel!!!

by cubsluver22 on Feb 18, 2009 7:42 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Hey, if ya can't beat 'em, join 'em.

At least until spring training games begin and there’s more to talk about.

by dat cubfan daver on Feb 18, 2009 5:09 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

ummmm

after careful thought—it would be best not to comment on that “amazing image”

I dont care who the new owner is as long as he/she/them come equipped with a Jake Peavy and a Joe Beimel!!!

by cubsluver22 on Feb 18, 2009 5:28 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Well, we already kinda just had this conversation...

…here. But I know it’s going to go on forever anyway, so I’m not necessarily complaining.

In any case, I reject your lineups and submit my own:

vs. RHP

1. Dome CF
2. DLee 1B
3. The Game RF
4. Aramis 3B
5. Soriano LF
6. Fontenot 2B (I might flip-flop Geo and LBR here if Soto is hitting better)
7. Geo C
8. Theriot SS
9. Pitcher

vs. LHP

1. RJ CF
2. (Not Bruce) Miles 2B
3. Aramis 3B
4. The Game RF
5. Soriano LF
6. DLee 1B
7. Geo C
8. Theriot SS
9. Pitcher

I’m not crazy about batting Miles so high in the order, but he has a rep as a contact hitter and, because he and Bradley are switch hitters, both could switch to the left side if a RHP is brought in later in the game.

by dat cubfan daver on Feb 18, 2009 4:53 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Maybe switch up Lee and Kosuke

Kosuke should be better this year and put up a solid OBP, the problem is Lee hit the ball on the ground so much last year, that if it continues, he will be erasing Fukudome with DP’s frequently

Miles should never be at the top of the lineup! Should not be in the lineup period

churchofbaseball.com

by MJMars on Feb 18, 2009 5:43 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

dat's lineup is best

and to keep DLee’s grounders down simply start Fukudome

Piniella: "This is a tougher job than I thought it would be, I'm going to be honest with you."

by Ivy Walls on Feb 18, 2009 6:25 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, like I said, I don't want to put Miles that high...

…but I’m trying to be cognizant of Lou’s desire to vary the LH and RH hitters. He would still probably bat righty against a LHP, but he and Bradley could both turn around later in the game.

by dat cubfan daver on Feb 19, 2009 10:28 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Lineups

I’ve came up with my own variation of the lineup. What I want the most is for whatever it is to stay the same. I hate lineups being changed almost everyday. I hope Lou tinkers with it for a few weeks, then finds one and stays with it.

I dont care who the new owner is as long as he/she/them come equipped with a Jake Peavy and a Joe Beimel!!!

by cubsluver22 on Feb 18, 2009 5:31 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

The best thing about lineups

Is that it won’t be too much longer before we can just watch them instead of making them up and then talking about him.

Also, Erin Andrews has waaaay better getaway sticks than I would have ever guessed.

by JodyDavis on Feb 18, 2009 5:50 PM CST reply actions 1 recs

+1

and a rec’d for erin andrews getaway sticks.

I dont care who the new owner is as long as he/she/them come equipped with a Jake Peavy and a Joe Beimel!!!

by cubsluver22 on Feb 18, 2009 6:31 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Soriano hitting leadoff gives the Cubbies the best chance to win. If we drop him down, two guys are going to get more at bats than our best hitters ultimately weakening the overall offensive threat the Cubs possess. Here is the best lineup…

1. Soriano
2. Fukudome
3. Ramirez
4. Bradley
5. Lee
6. Soto
7. Fontenot
8. Theriot

by jjs_8 on Feb 18, 2009 7:34 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I think that's pretty close to what you'll see Lou put out there this year against RHP.

I think Lou would make two tweaks to what you have.

1. Swap Fonty and Dome – at this point, Fonty is a better proven hitter. He needs to be near the top.
2. Swap Lee and Ramirez – Lou’s not ready to move Lee down, at least not yet.

I’d agree with the first tweak, and am 50/50 on the second one.

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Feb 18, 2009 8:00 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I like that lineup a lot...

…and I agree with Ballhawk that Lou should probably start the season with Fontenot in the two spot. He could flip-flop LBR and Dome later on if Dome picks it up and Fontenot isn’t producing adequately. And I would guess that Lou will leave DLee in the three-hole, but I, too, would prefer to see Aramis there.

by dat cubfan daver on Feb 19, 2009 10:32 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Great point by both of you, I would put Fukudome in the two hole because I like Fontenot as a hitter rather than a “bat handler”. I think your two hitter has to bunt on occasion while your 7 hitter can free swing which gives Fontenot more RBI opportunities rather than having single hitters such as Fukudome and Theriot at the end of the lineup, you have a guy with some pop.

by jjs_8 on Feb 19, 2009 7:37 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I've said this before, but since Lee mentioned it -

I’d love to see him tried at leadoff.

The author of this post is not a certified scout, doctor, agent, statistician, manager, or journalist, nor was he ever a very good player, though he tried very hard to be like Ryne Sandberg and was about as scrappy as it gets (in T-ball). Any opinion expressed above should in no way be confused with fact, truth, or reality and is hereby qualified in the following ways: 1) The author does not know as much about baseball as Lou Piniella. 2) The author does not know as much about baseball as Jim Hendry. 3) The author does not know as much about baseball as either Dusty or Darren Baker.

by DGU on Feb 18, 2009 8:08 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

yeah

at least he’d ground into less double plays.

by nathew on Feb 19, 2009 12:47 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Soriano

I would have no problem with Fonsi hitting leadoff, except for one thing. He isn’t patient enough at the plate. He has the speed to leadoff, but he has no patience at the plate. You want your leadoff hitter to be able to judge the pitcher and get a feel for what he is dealing on that paticular day.

That's shitastic!

by CUBSfaninYANKEEcountry on Feb 18, 2009 8:52 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

What I would like to see is Bradley batting 3rd and Ramirez cleanup

Where everybody else bats I could care less on some level. Bradley NEEDS to bat third.

by BLou on Feb 18, 2009 10:16 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, as a good all-around hitter...

…Bradley would suit the three-hole. The problem that comes into play is the need to vary the LH and RH bats.

by dat cubfan daver on Feb 19, 2009 10:35 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Bradley's a switch hitter.

So that’d work, right?

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Feb 19, 2009 10:39 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Well, if Soriano bats leadoff...

…you’d want to have a LH No. 2 vs. RHP. So then, theoretically, Bradley would have to bat righty to keep the alternating action in place. But would he want to bat righty against a RHP? Probably not – he has only 8 career PAs batting righty against a RHP.

by dat cubfan daver on Feb 19, 2009 10:52 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs