Batting lineup philosophy

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Mar 31, 2014
144
16
Just curious, I know the baseball philosophy of having the best contact hitter batting third and cleanup is usually the power hitter but I am curious as to how softball coaches typically like to set up the lineup.
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
1) speed and good on base percentage
2) good bunter, makes contact, speed is always a plus
3) best hitter with power - typically highest batting average
4) power
5) power or speed
repeat
 
Jan 6, 2014
38
6
An interesting question because I've recently seen an odd amount of lineups with the best contact hitter in the #1 position. I've also regularly seen weaker hitters sandwiched between stronger ones. I think it all depends on who you're facing.
 
Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
I can create an ''ideal'' lineup, but most teams don't have an ideal mix of skill sets. I remember a 12U team that I coached that had three really good hitters (average + power). Everyone else was average-to-mediocre with no power. I had no leadoff prototype. After putting several fast girls in the #1 hole, hoping they'd hit, we finally decided to bat the three stars 1-2-3, though only one had any speed (they would bat #3-#4 for most teams) and put the next best hitter #4, even though she had no power. With that particular team, the best plan was to get those three studs as many at-bats as possible.

So that would be my first advice - Don't view a batting order the way you view the defensive lineup, with the strict idea that each must bring a specific skill set.

Along those same lines ...

The #2 hitter (and all of the batters high in the lineup) MUST have a high on-base average. Bunting is an overrated skill in the #2 spot unless that player also gets on base as much as the other players in the top four spots in the order.

The #1 hitter MUST have a high on-base average. Speed/slapping/stealing is a highly overrated skill in the #1 spot unless that player also gets on base as much as the other players in the top four spots in the order.

The #4 hitter must have a good average and be a better all around hitter than anyone else below her in the order. The fact that you can hit the ball farther/harder than anybody else is highly overrated skill in the #4 spot unless that player is a better overall producer (OPS) than everyone else below her.

Being very fast is overrated in the batting order in general. You don't have to be very fast to score when good hitters are behind you. (I don't mean that being very fast is overrated in itself. Speed is great. I just mean that it is overrated when making out the lineup. Speed means you get on base more, and that is reflected in stats. It's about production, not speed).

Further, if you're really fast and can steal bases, wouldn't it make more sense to put them lower, since they're the ones who can manufacture runs? The top two hitters don't need to manufacture as much. They've got the best hitters behind them. I want those 1-2 hitters to have good speed, but don't over-think it and go fast for the sake of being fast.

And finally, be aware of pitchers/catchers who need pinch-running and where they fall in the lineup. You don't want slow players ahead of them who'll wind up replacing them in a ''last-batted out'' situation. Having two fast girls bat ahead of a slow-footed catcher will win you a game somewhere down the line.
 
Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
...I've recently seen an odd amount of lineups with the best contact hitter in the #1 position. I've also regularly seen weaker hitters sandwiched between stronger ones. I think it all depends on who you're facing.

I can't think of any good reason to do either of those things. Being a good contact hitter is almost irrelevant to me. And spacing hitters is irrational.

IMO, of course.
 
Mar 31, 2014
144
16
I am trying to understand why our MS coach is making the lineup the way they are is the reason I ask. They are putting a batter with the most K's in the two hole, the batter with the highest batting average/on base percentage in the 6 or 7 hole and te hitter with the third best average and probably the best power hitter on the team in the 8 spot. The difference between the highest average and the next highest is 200 pts. The player with the highest average has yet to strike out this year with over sixty at bats. I am just trying to make sense of it all, I keep the stats for the team and the way they have went about making a lineup just confuses me. I am not the coach so I will not discuss lineup with them, I just wondered if there was a concept out there I wasn't aware of.
 
Oct 18, 2009
604
18
I am trying to understand why our MS coach is making the lineup the way they are....

lol. yeah... it doesn't really make sense sometimes how some coaches do their lineup. especially with teams with mixed talent. every team is different so not everyone can follow the same script. generally speaking this is what i've seen and do. high avg/obp with speed up top. 3/4/5 with more power... then the 6-8 for me is usually done by average... if i have someone with speed and isn't for the top 5. I might put them 9 so to not slow down the top of the order if she gets on.
 
Sep 24, 2013
696
0
Midwest
An interesting question because I've recently seen an odd amount of lineups with the best contact hitter in the #1 position. I've also regularly seen weaker hitters sandwiched between stronger ones. I think it all depends on who you're facing.

This would be like OK and chamberlain last year. They put her at 3 and they pitched around her. So they moved her to 4 and they pitched around her. They moved her to 1 and everyone pitched to her AND the number 9 slapper had a high OBP and Chamberlain in the 1 spot got a lot of RBIs that way.
 

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