Its pretty clear that some/many of you are not going to be convinced by anything I say. That is fine, of course.
Over the last 2 seasons the offense and Springer himself have fared extremely well with him hitting lead off. So until it seems to be an actual problem, no many of us aren't likely to agree with you.
@jim1961 i thought you would have brought up the stat on the broadcast. Josh Reddick has the highest obp in the majors leading off an inning. I am not for changing the lineup, but if there had to be a significant change it would be something like: 1. Reddick 2. Gonzalez 3. Tuve 4. Correa 5. Springer 6. Beltran 7. McCann 8. Yuli 9. Bregman. Disclaimer: this is only a thought exercise for those asking what a changed lineup would look like.
Because the offense has worked really well as a whole doesn't mean reworking its parts wouldn't make it work even better. When you got guys with better OBP and leadoff numbers in general, I just dont think what i am suggesting is that far out of the box. To me , Springer is a proto typical power guy more than anything else, and that type of player traditionally bat 3-6th. The 2015-16 Springer was a good leadoff man. No argument. I just think Reddick, Gonzo or Altuve be would be great there.
I like that lineup a lot. Maybe I would switch Gonzo and Tuve to break up having three righties in a row and take advantage of gonzo better power in the 3.
So you would put Marwin Gonzalez in the three hole, based on one good month of baseball. To me that is going too far. To be fair, I think the whole thing is going too far, but assuming I was OK with my new lineup, switching Altuve and Gonzalez is too much IMO. You have to realize that would never happen.
And what about this regime do you think is traditional? Look, even when he was good, George Springer struck out *a lot*. I don't see fans being on board with constant whiffs in run-producing situations.
Here's what I would try out: LF Reddick 2B Altuve SS Correa RF Springer 1B Gonzalez C McCann DH Beltran / Gattis 3B Bregman CF Marisnick / Aoki (obviously Aoki would play LF, Springer CF, Reddick RF) This way if we go down 1, 2, 3 in the first, Springer gets to "lead off" in the second. I also think his bat plays well for the cleanup spot. Lots of fly balls.
Well, this thread has been a learning experience. For any given subject, folks focus more or prioritize one element of the equation over the others. In this thread, ive seen: -High SO guys shouldn't be in run producing situations -Leadoff hitters need not be proto-typical -Playing with the BO is bad voodoo -Guys get their feelings hurt when moved down -Guys get used to being in a particular spot -The data shouldn't dictate BO -The BO is partially a pecking order (via seniority) OK, these are not literal quotes, but the messages are there. I also see varying degrees of truth in each. Just sayin'
Overall, a good list. Data dictate BO. Small sample sizes of data do not dictate BO. BO is a pecking order. Seniority plays a small role as it takes an exceptional minor league career to justify batting a new guy in the top half of order...and even then, with the current team, that is unlikely as guys batting in top half have exceptional careers in majors.
Wait... did I ever post this? Someone please show me where I posted this. I'm being 100% serious lol I have no idea... (Actually this post is kinda creepy considering I talk regularly with my brother about the Astros and have been giving Marwin super high praise, but I'm almost positive I haven't posted anything on here saying the same )
Well...you have been talking to your brother about it and you do think he should be an all-star. Honestly, I have no idea why I equated you to the praising Marwin post. Must have merged a couple of different posts in my mind. Apologies. Be prepared. You'll get older and have the same problem.
My take is that when you have a lineup that is overall very effective, you leave it alone unless someone is in an extended, dire slump.
Moved from where? He has 116 at bats at #5 and 16 at cleanup. He has been the #2 hitter in a handful of games when Reddick has sat out. He has essentially been #5 all year. Edit - 8 of the cleanup at bats came when Correa was hurt and it wouldn't surprise me if the other 8 came when Correa didn't start. Further Edit - But, giving you the benefit of the doubt, I assume you meant Bregman.
