Lineup construction

[timmermac]

I go with speed in the first two slots, because speed kills. My best contact and power hitter is third. More power bats are 4-6. If I have another power hitter, he's 7. 8 is my weakest hitter an 9 is the pitcher's spot. I play with legends and ignore budget, so my current Braves lineup is Billy Hamilton (acquired via trade), Eric Young, Jr., Ted Williams, Mike Schmidt, Johnny Bench, Freddie Freeman, Robin Yount and Andrelton Simmons, with the pitcher hitting 9th.

[TheWarmWind]

Something that I should add to my previous post: My team has a lot of left handed hitters. Although I've gotten a lot better at hitting lefty on lefty, a good left hander can still really mess up my lineup.

I do have one big right handed bat (Jose Bautista) and another right handed bat that is really mashing lefties in my franchise (Yan Gomes). I've started using a strategy where I put those two bats in evenly spaced parts of my lineup when facing righties so that an opposing manager can't completely shut down my lineup or mess up my lineup strat by bringing out a lefty.

Getting those two particular players may be difficult. I abused the old trade system. However, if you have a a lineup that is mostly reliant on lefties like mine, consider getting a couple of "lefty specialists" and sprinkling them in your lineup in order to to "protect" your left handed bats. Danny Valencia immediately springs to mind, but there are plenty of other guys and you can usually get them for cheap.

[NEOPARADIGM]

I have little to add except that I'd say it's one of the funnest thing in the game, those moments tinkering before a game, and how when you get it "just right" you just kinda know: "there it is."

More generally:

1. Best speed & contact combo guy
2. Best contact guy, some power a bonus
3. Best hitter
4. Most power
5. #2 most power
6. Preferably a balanced hitter, your #2 or 3 "best hitter" type
7. HOPEFULLY another solid bat
8. scrub slot if necessary, otherwise your "#8 hitter"
9. Speed & contact, effectively your leadoff #2

[Speedy]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bobhead

Do you alternate righties and lefties? Do you pile on all the hitters you have of the opposite hand (to the pitcher)? Pitcher 8th or 9th? Speed at the top? Or do you just lead with your best hitters? Share your general lineup strategy here.

I generally hit the pitcher 8th...I find it gives my 2-4 hole hitters much more opportunity to drive in runs.

Every so often it bits me in the rear as the pitcher comes up with 2 outs and a guy on 2nd but I think the good outweighs the bad.

I've found, as far as lineups go...when I have a hitter having a hard time, if I put him in the 2-hole (in front of my best hitter, Freddie Freeman, at the 3), it helps tremendously. Maybe it's a placebo but I find I can get more walks and more base hits.

[Trent Booty]

Quote: Originally Posted by Speedy

I generally hit the pitcher 8th...I find it gives my 2-4 hole hitters much more opportunity to drive in runs. Every so often it bits me in the rear as the pitcher comes up with 2 outs and a guy on 2nd but I think the good outweighs the bad. I've found, as far as lineups go...when I have a hitter having a hard time, if I put him in the 2-hole (in front of my best hitter, Freddie Freeman, at the 3), it helps tremendously. Maybe it's a placebo but I find I can get more walks and more base hits.

I think the #2 spot is the most important in the whole lineup. It's a wildcard. You have the Jays putting 30-HR MVP candidate Donaldson (and Bautista there before him) and then there's teams like the Rangers who put Roughed Odor (not sure about the first name spelling) there. I usually like to put a guy like Seager there.

[redsox4evur]

Quote: Originally Posted by Trent Booty

I think the #2 spot is the most important in the whole lineup. It's a wildcard. You have the Jays putting 30-HR MVP candidate Donaldson (and Bautista there before him) and then there's teams like the Rangers who put Roughed Odor (not sure about the first name spelling) there. I usually like to put a guy like Seager there.

Yea the 2 hole is pretty key. The Sox have a good top 4. Betts gets on base a lot. Then they go with Pedroia, a former MVP who hit out of the 2 hole, then Ortiz and Ramirez to round it out.

[Trent Booty]

Quote: Originally Posted by redsox4evur

Yea the 2 hole is pretty key. The Sox have a good top 4. Betts gets on base a lot. Then they go with Pedroia, a former MVP who hit out of the 2 hole, then Ortiz and Ramirez to round it out.

I do like Ortiz in the 4 hole. I think I would use Betts/Pedroia 1/2, then Hanley or another good hitter 3rd and then Ortiz 4th

[HozAndMoose]

In my brewers franchise Lucroy is always my #2. Line up usually looks like this.



1. Parra

2. Lucroy

3. Gomez

4. Braun

5. Lind

6. Gennett

7. Ramirez/Sardinas

8. Pitcher

9. Segura.