Filed under General
We added a new feature in the sidebar on the left that allows you to suggest things you would like to see written about on the site. One of the first suggestions asked for my idea lineup for this team. It seems simple enough, so here goes. Keep in mind that this is as of right now.
- Reed Johnson – CF
- Ryan Theriot – SS
- Derrek Lee – 1B
- Aramis Ramirez – 3B
- Kosuke Fukudome – RF
- Alfonso Soriano – LF
- Geovany Soto – C
- Ronny Cedeno – 2B
- Pitcher Slot
Yes, I know I put DeRosa on the bench. I’d like to see him spell Soriano, Fukudome, Ramirez, and Cedeno to get his at bats. That should get him in the game roughly four games a week.The Chair on dvd Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun hd
My ideal line-up:
1. Reed Johnson, CF
2. Alfonso Soriano, LF
3. Derrek Lee, 1B
4. Aramis Ramirez, 3B
5. Kosuke Fukudome, RF
6. Geovany Soto, C
7. Mark DeRosa, 2B
8. Pitcher slot
9. Ronny Cedeno, SS
The Cajun Connection can come off of the bench.
In this scenario, Alfonso is batting second for the first inning after which point he is effectively batting third. My reasoning:
a.) We don’t want Soriano buried at the bottom of the line-up because this will limit his at-bats.
b.) I like the current 3-4-5 hitters where they are.
c.) Reed Johnson is a better lead-off hitter because he is much more patient at the plate. (Does he ever swing at the first pitch?)
Josh – Ryan Theriot hits .325 with nearly a .400 OPS while leading the team in steals and he’s coming off the bench? Man, you’re tough!
Ryan Theriot is also leading the majors in caught stealings, so it’s not like his baserunning prowess is helping the team any.
The fact is, there are four bases in baseball, and Ryan Theriot is at most able to utlize two of them. There is precarious little room between Theriot and utter suck once his batting average falls below .300.
It is clear to me that the Cubs, moreso than the Brewers or the Cardinals, would well be served by batting the pitchers in the #8 slot. Tony LaRussa, the best manager of our generation, brought the concept over from the American League, where absence of the pitcher makes managers look at the entire lineup rather than just the first eight. Most teams put a “second leadoff” hitter in the #9 slot, and the weak link moves to #8. And the Cubs even have a couple of pretty good hitters in Zambrano and Marquis.
If Lou likes Soriano in the leadoff spot, then putting the pitchers in the #8 spot would give Soriano a lot more RBI potential after the first inning. I also would like to see Kosuke Fukudome higher in the order; and fifth hitter should have more HR than 1 by Mother’s Day. How about this:
Soriano LF
Fukudome RF
Lee 1B
Ramirez 3B
Soto C
DeRosa, 2B**
Theriot, SS**
Pitchers
Johnson CF
Notes:
** Ronny Cedeno would be the swing man/super sub in my lineup. He would play SS, 2B or 3B when in the lineup; if he replaced an outfielder he would go to 2B and DeRosa would go to the OF.
Also, I think I am getting ready to give up on Felix Pie, who shows an occasional soid AB but sinks back into the weak-swing mode almost immediately.
^ I had the same thought over the weekend. I’d rather see someone like Zambrano in the eight hole, and have Pie in the nine spot. Pie would see better pitches with a lead off hitter behind him, which might get him back on track.
I agree with those hwo want to move Fukudome out of the 5 hole. Power is not his game, and he clearly could be an effective #1 or #2 hitter. I’d suggest this:
Fukudome – CF
Soriano – LF
Lee – 1B
Ramirez – 3B
Soto – C
DeRosa – RF
Cedeno – 2B
Pitcher
Theriot – SS
I think that if Lou wants his best offense out there without giving up too much on defense, Fukudome has to go to CF, at least occasionally (you could put Pie or Johnson there as well and adjust the bottom of the order slightly on some days). I am sure people will argue with Cedeno/Theriot being in the position they’re in, but frankly, they both have defensive shortcomings at SS, and I think Lou would know th esiutation better than anyone, so that is a decision best made by him. I left Theriot there because that’s where he’s played the bulk of his time, and so will likely be most comfortable. This line-up puts Cedeno in a position where he can battle, foul off pitches, and look to drive in runs or if the bases are empty and there are 2 outs, he can try to get on base with a BB or hit in order to turn the line-up over. I also think it’s time to take the gloves off Soto and bat him 5th. He’s the 3rd or 4th best power hitter on the team so start treating him like it.
Colin – as far as I know, Ryan Theriot doesn’t have the green light everytime he’s on first base. Meaning, whenever he is in motion, it’s called from the dugout. So it’s not like he’s running in poor counts or in bad situations. This factor places some of the blame for his cs’s on the bench, not necessarily because he made a bad baserunning play.
Anno – Agreed. Does anyone know how to figure out the situation during his steal attempts? I wonder how many of them were strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out type plays.
Heard Brenly say that Theriot does in fact have the green light always. But that was at least a week or two ago, may have changed.
I had to laugh because I actually suggested this topic and at the time thought I had a great lineup to offer up for consideration. Problem is, then they went and played that exact lineup in last night’s game. And look where that got us. So I think I’d better take my ideas back to the drawing board.
Lizzie – I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s like none of these would work.
Or rather likeLY none of these would work…