Advantage Phillies

by 6161Maris on Oct 13, 2009 7:43 AM MDT Comment 6 comments

Checking the NLDS stats, one area stands out in which the Phillies had a glaring advantage: the 7th and 8th spots in the batting order. Combined stats of hitters in those positions in the batting order:

Phils -- 7 for 28, 4 walks. .250 avg., .343 OBP

Rox -- 2 for 27, 2 walks. .074 avg., .138 OBP

Given the Phillies' strength at the top of the order, that disparity in the 7-8 spots (which, with the pitchers batting 9th, essentially left the Rockies with 2/3 of a batting order & a black hole in the bottom 1/3) was too much to overcome.

The abysmal offensive non-performance by Barmes has been much discussed, and will continue to be in the off-season. No sense re-beating that dead horse. But the 7 slot is also a problem. In considering "What do we do with Hawpe?" in the off-season, a part of answering that question has to be, "Can Smith or Spillborghs fill the RF/7th slot?" or perhaps the 6th slot if the catcher returns to the 7 or 8 slot during the regular season.

Two holes in the batting order, plus the pitcher's spot, is just too many to compete with the likes of the Dodgers or Phillies, much less the Yankees, Red Sox or Angels. Filling those holes has to be a priority in 2010 if the Rockies want to get to those teams' level.

Eat. Drink. Be Merry. But the above FanPost does not necessarily reflect the attitudes, opinions, or views of Purple Row's staff (unless, of course, it's written by the staff [and even then, it still might not]).

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Smith should bat 2nd

FREE CHRIS IANNETTA

At least against LHP, I mean COME ON

by Andrew Martin on Oct 13, 2009 10:05 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

That would put either Cargo or Fowler toward the bottom then

After the NLDS, I think it would be crazy to mess with Cargo as leadoff hitter. Which would mean moving Dex to 7 or 8. His speed wouldn’t do as much good there, but maybe hitting 8 in front of the pitcher he’d see better pitches. And that leaves the question — what do you do with Barmes or EY2?

by 6161Maris on Oct 13, 2009 11:54 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wouldn't mess with the top of the order

CarGo and Dex are going to be excellent table setters for the middle of the lineup next year. It’s scary to think just how good they both can be with another year of experience under their belt. CarGo certainly showed his potential with his 10 hits in the NLDS.

Depending on how comfortable Stewart seems next year, I’d like to see Smith batting fifth or sixth next season. This is assuming Hawpe is gone, of course, which seems to be the prevailing wisdom.

by avsfan4ever33 on Oct 13, 2009 2:20 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't care how fast he is

speed is icing on a cake. I don’t want Tracy turning Dex into a Dave Roberts or Juan Pierre – he’s better than that. EYJ, sure, but not Dex. I’m somewhat convinced that he’ll do just that with Dex, so when he could be lacing line drives, he’ll be pounding bunts into the ground and trying to leg everything out.

Plus, Dex hasn’t figured out switch hitting yet.

FREE CHRIS IANNETTA

At least against LHP, I mean COME ON

by Andrew Martin on Oct 13, 2009 6:44 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

no

that would put cargo in the 5 or 6 spot….

watch this space for a soon to be created clever remark....

by RockyMtnCat on Oct 15, 2009 3:21 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

JFK's 2010 Lineup

I don’t care what you all think but if these players are on the roster next year this is what I want to see:

Young Jr.
Smith
Gonzalez
Tulowitzki
Helton
Stewart
Iannetta
Fowler
Pitcher

"We made too many wrong mistakes." ~Yogi Berra
"The ballplayer who loses his head, who can't keep his cool, is worse than no ballplayer at all." ~Lou Gehrig
JFK

by jrockies on Oct 16, 2009 2:24 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs