Jjav829
01-22-2006, 11:49 PM
Felipe Alou recently threw out the idea that he might bat Barry Bonds second in the order. The idea behind that would be to get Bonds more at-bats and possibly allow Felipe Alou to get Barry out of games earlier. Bonds, always the consummate team player, says he doesn't want to bat second. So I throw out the question, if you were Felipe Alou, and you were trying to make out the best possible everyday lineup given all the factors, what would you do?
IMO, batting Bonds second is a poor idea. I know Alou wants to get Bonds as many at-bats as possible, but I think you have to maximize those at-bats. Get him up there with men on base more times and allow him to have an impact. I'd rather have Bonds get 40 less plate appearances but come up with men on base 30 more times. If you bat him second, he will often times come to bat in the first with no one on base. He'll also be only two spots behind the pitcher. That's not making the best use of your best hitter.
I think the best lineup for Alou to put out there would be something like:
Durham
Vizquel
Winn
Bonds
Alou
Feliz
Niekro/Sweeney
Matheny
Best case scenario, the Giants hope that Durham, Vizquel and Winn can give them something similar to the Indians lineup of the late 90s with Lofton, Vizquel and Alomar batting ahead of Thome and Ramirez. Maybe the Durham, Vizquel and Winn trio, while obviously not as good as the Indians trio, can have a similar effect on the Giants lineup and bring Bonds up in plenty of RBI opportunities.
IMO, batting Bonds second is a poor idea. I know Alou wants to get Bonds as many at-bats as possible, but I think you have to maximize those at-bats. Get him up there with men on base more times and allow him to have an impact. I'd rather have Bonds get 40 less plate appearances but come up with men on base 30 more times. If you bat him second, he will often times come to bat in the first with no one on base. He'll also be only two spots behind the pitcher. That's not making the best use of your best hitter.
I think the best lineup for Alou to put out there would be something like:
Durham
Vizquel
Winn
Bonds
Alou
Feliz
Niekro/Sweeney
Matheny
Best case scenario, the Giants hope that Durham, Vizquel and Winn can give them something similar to the Indians lineup of the late 90s with Lofton, Vizquel and Alomar batting ahead of Thome and Ramirez. Maybe the Durham, Vizquel and Winn trio, while obviously not as good as the Indians trio, can have a similar effect on the Giants lineup and bring Bonds up in plenty of RBI opportunities.