The Art and Science Behind Batting Orders in Baseball
Since 2010, Wayne Schepens has worked for W2 Communications in Baltimore, Maryland, as the company’s vice president. When Wayne Schepens is not providing clients with analytical services in areas of organic growth and cyber security, he is heavily involved in the sport of baseball, particularly with the Severna Park Green Hornets. A number of strategies come into play when setting the batting order for a baseball team at any level. The first step in creating an effective lineup comes in evaluating the skills and deficiencies of each player’s offensive game. Batters can usually be described as power hitters, contact hitters, runners, or specialists. The first three batters in the lineup should possess contact and speed, with the third batter hovering somewhere between contact and power hitter. The goal of the first two batters is simply to make contact and use speed to get a base hit. Many analysts believe the third position in the lineup should be occupied by the team’s overall strongest hitter, a player capable of getting on base, driving the ball deep into the outfield, and possessing enough speed to get an extra base. The fourth slot in the lineup is often referred to as the cleanup position. In an ideal situation, each of the first three hitters has reached base. The responsibility of the cleanup batter is to utilize power to drive the ball deep enough into the outfield that one or more of the runners can score. Gifted teams can use the fifth slot in the lineup for similar purposes, though the batter is usually a contact or power hitter with less talent than the three and four slots. The six through eight spots often mirror the first three slots in the lineup, but again, with players who possess slightly less refined offensive skills. Opinions on the ninth spot vary. It is often occupied by the team’s worst hitter. However, others maintain that the ninth hitter should be as fast and talented as the first batter in the order, as once the game begins, the difference between the one-slot and the nine-slot becomes negligible.
