Batting 8th

[Raskolnikov]

Watching the game today, and the situational gameplay reason batting your pitcher 8th leads to more runs in the long haul occurred to me while listening to Vin Scully go off on Arizonas manager as the pitcher came up early to a 2 out 2 on situation early in the lineup.

The math gets trumped by the common manager decision.

At first glance, it's a negative to have your pitcher up. And it is, but it's only based on the pitchers average and what the pitcher would be able to do with an extra base runner, which for most pitchers they don't have the power to move an extra runner.

The reason the difference in 8 hitter and 9 hitter doesn't matter in this situation, is let's say you bat the pitcher 9th. Now you just walk the 8th to face the ninth anyway.

You roll the same zero power .110 hitter with an extra runner. That's the advantage in those types of situations batting 9th.

The advantage is far greater to have a good hitter in 9 spot in front of your best hitters for 2-3 extra rolls a game.

Heyward is a great 2 hitter with 3 power it's really nice to employ this strategy with. Pujols was the perfect 4 power guy with 2-3 skill to slide up 1 as well. Rizzo with high average and plus power also nice to slide up one.

When your best hitters are also power guys basically it works out the best to get them an extra at bat every few games. Having a high OBP guy in the 9 helps this.

I think the 9 becomes more important than the 7, particularly make sure it's a guy with good speed in 9.

Billy Hamilton would be a better 9 than 1 for instance.

 

[CSF77]

Maddon did it to push Russell's development. Hitting 8th a pitcher could pitch around him to get the easier out pitcher. Having Fowler follow him a pitcher had to pitch to him.

The whole pitcher hitting 8th is over blown. That is why Maddon scrapped it this year as it was a situational issue with developing a hitter vs a tactic to generate runs. If anything adding AB's to a sub .200 hitter works against scoring runs.

 

[Shawon0Meter]

The pitcher batting 8th was such an issue last year, that it was hard to not notice in game situations when it came into play and seemed like a good decision or a bad decision. I remember it being a bad decision more often.

 

[SilenceS]

It is so situational. There are pitchers that can handle a bat. If you have a really speedy guy, batting them 9th can help your lineup tremendously. Now, if you have a pitcher that cant put down a bunt then it is a issue ala Matt Garza. Anyone is front of pitcher is going to see more walks. If they don't have the discipline then it hampers the team. It is based off your team and who you have to work with as hitters. Russell was very strike out prone last year and batting in front of a pitcher was going to make that worse. There is a time ad a place and thats why the managers make the big bucks. Maddon said he will still use the pitcher 8th if it calls for it. Maddon is a straight metrics coach. Rarely will he go with gut.