Manny Machado went 1 for 3 with a walk in the Orioles victory over the Astros Monday afternoon. Since moving to the lead-off slot this year, Machado produced a .368 OBP, compared to his .317 career mark. Buck Showalter said he was trying to get more plate appearances for one of his best hitters.
“How many true leadoff guys are there in baseball now, the way we used to look at them? Name them quick. On-base and run. They’re not there. They’re hard to find because the game’s not really developing those type of guys anymore. I told you many times the computer says to take your best hitter and hit him first, take your second-best hitter and hit him second. ”
I also, wonder, however, if Showalter wanted to try to get Machado a bit more selective at the plate. Batters have an idea of how each slot of the order should hit, and by putting Machado at the top, he may be thinking, “I have to get on base,” rather than, “I have to put the ball in play to drive in runs.” If that was Buck’s intention, kudos to the manager for making Machado a better offensive player.
There may be something to players changing their approach to different spots in the order, assuming they find the change to their liking and want to stay there.
SP’ers really seem to have their most trouble starting the game in the first inning (and their last inning of course), so I want my best hitters to at least bat in the top 3 of the order since you can’t control who is up when the pitchers is in his last inning, and usually your best hitter does not get to face them anyways in their last inning as that’s a trigger for a pitching change. I
So I find the Dodgers and Nats batting Agon and Harper 4th just unfathomable.
I also hate the pitcher batting 8th like Maddon is doing. Seen several games end now with a better hitter batting 9th (Russell) and a weak hitting PH ending a close games with ROB. No excuse for giving the weakest spot in the order more PA