Questioning the Mets Lineup

by user Bball3345

I am not a Mets fan but I have heard the complaints of many who are. So, I decided to look at the most frequently used batting order by the Mets. After doing this, I put myself in the shoes of Willie Randolph and put together what I believe would be the most effective order.

First, the most frequently used order looked like this

Batting Order 1. Reyes	SS

2. Lo Duca	C

3. Beltran	CF

4. Delgado	1B

5. Wright	3B

6. Floyd	LF

7. Nady	       RF

8. Hernandez   2B

9. Pitcher

Now here is my order...

1. Beltran     CF...I would move him up to leadoff because he has one of the better OBP's but not as much power as Delgado or Wright. There is no reason to have Reyes and his terrible OBP leading off. His stolen bases don't matter if you put power hitters like Wright and Delgado behind him. He will score from first base on most of their hits anyways.

2. Wright      3B...He is the best hitter in the lineup and the best OBP as well. Second in the order is where I would place my best hitter, especially since Delgado's HR power will help out more from the cleanup spot. Unfortunately, the Mets bat LoDuca here, which costs the team valuable runs.

3. Nady        RF...Diaz has actually shown better production as a 22 and 23 year old then Nady has shown through 26. So I would give Diaz a lot of playing time as well and bat him in the #3 spot. Either way, whichever one of these two was not starting would strengthen the bench as a pinch hitter. Beltran currently hits here, which is a waste of his solid OBP. He needs to be given more at bats by hitting higher in the order.

4. Delgado     1B...Delgado is the second best hitter in the lineup behind Wright and has a ton of power. This is where the Mets bat him now and this is where he should stay.

5. Floyd       LF...Floyd currently hits sixth, but he is one of the top four hitters in the lineup. So, he should be moved up to get some extra appearances. Also, his power will help in front of the more slap-hitting Reyes.

6. Reyes       SS...Reyes hits leadoff currently but would serve the team better from the six spot. First, his low OBP will not hurt the team as much down here. Second, his SBs will help the less powerful LoDuca drive in runs. LoDuca rarely strikes out so hit and runs could be utilized as well to manufacture runs.

7. LoDuca      C...His OBP is way too low to have him hitting in his current slot at #2.

8. Pitcher     P...I would bat the pitcher eighth because, while it might give the pitcher more at bats, it would allow a better hitter to hit in front of Beltran, producing more runs. Unfortunately, the number nine hitter Valentin or Hernandez could end up being worse than the pitcher.

9. J. Valentin 2B....The Mets are really weak at 2B. I am not a big fan of Anderson Hernandez and Valentin is getting old. Still, I think I would rather have Valentin hitting until either Hernandez proves otherwise or Valentin shows he doesn't deserve to be in the majors anymore.

Now go ahead Mets fans and tell me how wrong I am...

Date
Sun 04/16/06, 11:20 am EST