Trying to get something out of the lineup that was supposed to set the MLB run record, John Farrell has shuffled the Red Sox lineup and given David Ortiz some time to fix his swing. Here's my thoughts on Dustin Pedroia, Mookie Betts, Pablo Sandoval and Ortiz.
PEDROIA- Moving Pedroia out of the two-spot was a great move. Why is it a great move? Both this season and last season Pedroia has struggled with a runner on 2nd (2015- .167 2014- .163). While Betts may have the skills to be a great lead off hitter in his career, now is not the time, at least not with Pedroia batting behind him. Pedroia not being able to hit with a runner at second makes it futile for Betts to steal a base in front of him. Even with Ortiz in a slump, opposing managers have consistently put him on when the game is on the line and there is a base open. Besides not doing so hot in the two-spot this season, Pedroia does have the skills to be a pretty good lead off man. Leading off the most important statistic is your on base percentage. Here are Dustin's numbers leading off:
2015- .424
2014- .307
2013- .395
2012- .378
2011- .391
2010- .421
While I hadn't mentioned moving Pedroia to the lead off spot at all this year, he did have the most potential of any of the players heading into the 2014 season.
2015- .424
2014- .307
2013- .395
2012- .378
2011- .391
2010- .421
While I hadn't mentioned moving Pedroia to the lead off spot at all this year, he did have the most potential of any of the players heading into the 2014 season.
BETTS- I'm not going to write a whole lot about Mookie batting second because just over a week ago I wrote an entire post about moving him out of the lead off position.
Batting average hitting 1st: .238
Batting average hitting 2nd: .313
Batting average leading off: .244
OBP leading off: .263
SANDOVAL- If you're wondering what the deal is with Pablo because he is showing you nothing from the plate, that's pretty much what he is. Believe it or not, his OBP is actually higher than it was last season (.326 compared to .324 last year). The only number out of the ordinary when looking at his statistics is his ratio of ground outs to air outs (GO/AO). So far this season that number is 1.82, while his career number is 1.08. In his career, the closest he has been to 1.82 is in 2010 when it was 1.29. That season his batting average was .268......but hey he is good in the post season, so let's sign him to a huge deal.
While Sandoval is showing me exactly what I expected (mediocrity) from the plate, I do need to say that I am impressed with his defense at third. For a big guy he is pretty agile. Additionally, he is pretty accurate with his throws. Nevertheless, he should probably become a first baseman in the near future.
ORTIZ- So Ortiz got moved out his three spot and out of the lineup. Surely that pissed him off. They said it was so he could work on his swing. Surely, that's disrespectful to Papi. They batted Sandoval in his place. What has he ever done to earn that?
As one of the few who saw a lot of potential in Ortiz while Jeremy Giambi was getting a majority of the at bats, I still have faith in the man. While he might not put up career numbers by the end of the season, his final numbers will still be very respectful and he will still have games where he puts the team on his 39 year old back.
Batting average hitting 1st: .238
Batting average hitting 2nd: .313
Batting average leading off: .244
OBP leading off: .263
SANDOVAL- If you're wondering what the deal is with Pablo because he is showing you nothing from the plate, that's pretty much what he is. Believe it or not, his OBP is actually higher than it was last season (.326 compared to .324 last year). The only number out of the ordinary when looking at his statistics is his ratio of ground outs to air outs (GO/AO). So far this season that number is 1.82, while his career number is 1.08. In his career, the closest he has been to 1.82 is in 2010 when it was 1.29. That season his batting average was .268......but hey he is good in the post season, so let's sign him to a huge deal.
While Sandoval is showing me exactly what I expected (mediocrity) from the plate, I do need to say that I am impressed with his defense at third. For a big guy he is pretty agile. Additionally, he is pretty accurate with his throws. Nevertheless, he should probably become a first baseman in the near future.
ORTIZ- So Ortiz got moved out his three spot and out of the lineup. Surely that pissed him off. They said it was so he could work on his swing. Surely, that's disrespectful to Papi. They batted Sandoval in his place. What has he ever done to earn that?
As one of the few who saw a lot of potential in Ortiz while Jeremy Giambi was getting a majority of the at bats, I still have faith in the man. While he might not put up career numbers by the end of the season, his final numbers will still be very respectful and he will still have games where he puts the team on his 39 year old back.
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