August 22, 2006 Changes for Astros: Burke at SS; Biggio dropped to 6th http://blogs.chron.com/sportsjustice/archives/2006/08/changes_burke_a.html
Throughout? Nope...40 PA's. He got juggled b/t leadoff/2nd/6th, hell, he even hit 3rd for 2 or 3 straight games. He hit leadoff in September as much as he hit 6th. I think it's safe to say he won't be hitting 7th on opening day, which is what I was specifically talking about. He'd be a very good fit hitting 6th/7th though, but I doubt we see it early in the season. Pre-ASB '06 Biggio will be productive wherever they put him. Post-ASB '06 Biggio will be watching Loretta. We'll see which shows up, and when.
Biggio pre All-Star break = borderline All-Star Biggio post All-Star = worst 2nd baseman in the bigs. Thanks for coming over, Loretta. Going against convention, I'd put Ensberg at - Leadoff! He'd be slow as crap on the bases but he could look at all the balls he wants and get on base. Ensberg Burke Berkman Lee Scott Biggio Everett Ausmus ((WHY did he have to get a Gold Glove and still appear valuable?) Pitcher With Burke at leadoff you get an automatic 30-35 points OBP% upgrade over Willy T though, which might be the most improved spot in the order besides the cleanup spot. And Ensberg would get a few pitches to hit (if he tries to hit) batting in front of Berkman. So that'd definitely work out. Biggio can't get to 3000 hits soon enough.
Burke is more likely to get an outfield single than Ensberg if Ensberg keeps the bat on his shoulder this season. This is important because pitchers frequently are used to bunt over Ausmus or Everett to second.
You're assuming alot, thinking that Ausmus or Everett will get to first. And if he is in an RBI spot, the bottom line is that Ensberg has alot more power than Burke. I'd bat Burke 1st, Ensberg 2nd, because Burke has more speed. But Ensberg hit 23 homers in a down year. His ability to hit homers with men on base > Burke's ability to hit singles. And if he takes a walk, it's a benefit with guys like Berkman and Lee due up.
I'd hit Everett 2nd and have him bunt everytime the leadoff batter got on with a single or double, ala Craig Reynolds. That would also rectify the 7-8-9 problem we've got.
Well, to show you what they know, the #2 hole is where AE has had - far & away - his most offensive success: .290 / .331 / .402 in over 390 PAs. Add to that his ability to handle the bat (sac, hit & run, run & hit), his ability to use the whole field (something Purp commented on as a huge improvement in AEs approach as last season wore on) & the combo of speed & baserunning skill in front of the RBI guys...he makes some sense there as an option for the Astros *as the team is constructed*. Whether or not it's the best idea for the '07 Astros of course depends largely on Biggio. BTW...the #2 hitter on the Astros in '06 had 78 more plate appearances than the #7 hitter.
Did he get moved to the 2-spot because he was hitting well, or did he start hitting well when moved to the 2-spot?
He hit there pretty much exclusively in '04 (only 40 PAs elsewhere in the lineup) before he broke his wrist, this stretch makes up the majority of the time he's spent batting 2nd.
He started the season there. Don't know why, but everything Buck said is accurate--handles the bat very well, hits behind the runners well, bunts extremely well. Huh? Perhaps you saw one AB where he looked bad? Over the course of his career, he's been outstanding. Watching AE handle the bat, the big question I always have is: why doesn't it translate into more production (which is what matters)?
Hitting 7th/8th with Ausmus and/or the pitcher behind you & hitting 2nd with Bagwell/Berkman behind you are two different animals. More to your point: tne thing he doesn't have is real good pitch recognition & plate discipline...hitting where he has in the lineup really exacerbates that.
