Batting Philosophy

[radness]

Really should explain to the entire team the concept of a lineup and how batters work together to produce runs.

 

[JayW]

then your #1 and #2 suck. start over.

thanks, Lance. top notch analysis. maybe too cerebral.

 

[uncdrew]

Really should explain to the entire team the concept of a lineup and how batters work together to produce runs.

Yup. And that concept doesn't involve the second best batter in the 9-hole.

 

[radness]

Well...lol... if a Coach could actually explain all the reasons for their decisions.

 

[heman1202]

Unless everyone on the team is roughly of equal talent then there is no explaining why one of the top hitters is batting at the end of the lineup.

Coaches over complicate things. Your best hitters need to have the most opportunities to hit throughout the course of a game/tournament/season. If they are batting at the end of the lineup then that isn't happening.

Best hitters batting in the top of the line up equals the most opportunities to hit, period. "Game plans" have a tenancy to go out of the window pretty quickly, especially at younger ages.

 

[cnardone]

nearly every explanation i see above is based on the flawed premise of leadoff hitters and setting the table. that only happens once a game. the lead off hitters in the remaining innings will be random. the last thing you want at the end of the game is to have your 8-9 hitters start the inning and then have your “speed” batters at 1-2. Often that’s a loss.

The flawed premise is any coach who thinks they can somehow manage a game where the worst hitters don't come up in big spots.

If that lousy hitter was hitting 6 or 7 instead of 8-9, then 6 -7will be the spot that starts the bottom of the 7th.

 

[Lance Steckler]

one of the important things to remember as a coach is being willing to move whomever, wherever in the line up to reflect hot, cold, slump, etc. CANNOT be locked in to DD of coach X, bats lead off no matter what, DD of coach Y bats 3rd no matter what.

 

[PapaBear]

If you got a mix of hitters spread it out. Most games are separated 6-9 hitters.

 

[efastball]

Most youth coaches work hardest on their best hitters. Winning coaches work more on their worst hitters.

 

[Strike2]

Generally, runs are scored by people who got on base before someone else put a ball into play. If you have a lineup where everyone is fast, can hit, and can also draw a walk, you can have the nearest toddler pull names out of a hat.

Absent that, over time, runs are a function of getting the most effective batters to the plate. There is an argument for not putting a sloth in the 9-hole ahead of a fast runner, but "spreading out" your best performers dilutes the effectiveness of your lineup. This isn't hard...it's a pretty simple math problem.

We can debate about which metric to use (I'm an OPS fan), but if you want to score the most runs possible, your highest performing hitters should be seeing the most at-bats. Putting a jack-rabbit at leadoff with a sub-.300 OBP is pointless, as is sandwiching a good OPS at the bottom between two blind turtles.

Hitting can be streaky, and trends are your friend. If your best performers don't also have the most at-bats, you need to change it up. Measuring over a season is fine if you haven't played much, but the last couple of tournaments can often tell a very different story. Coaches who stick to one lineup based on their "eye test" regardless of what's really happening are short-changing the team. MLB managers and college coaches change lineups all the time. Yeah, there are some eight-hole hitters who will freak out out if suddenly moved to the top-three, but you might find your new diamond by trying it.