I still think Joe's best spot in the line up is 2nd, but in the short term this could work well.  There is no player on the roster who is really a conventional lead off hitter.  I like the thought of Joe getting 6 pitches off of the opposing pitcher to start each game. 

 

Nunez is still hitting well and can be a good #2 to go into the heart of the line up.  I like these two up top and in this order. 

So right when Mauer is starting to slump at the plate? It's not a bad decision but honestly who gives a flip big picture wise.

This isn't a bad idea but it's hard not to get the feeling this organization is playing darts blindfolded right now.

 

This isn't a bad idea but it's hard not to get the feeling this organization is playing darts blindfolded right now.

 

It does seem more like a "fine, you want him at the top, I'll put him at the top" thing, given his use of Dozier and Plouffe still........

This will be interesting how it plays out. Even though Mauer has a high on-base percentage, he doesn't score a high percentage. Last year he scored 27% of the time he was on base, Dozier got on less but scored 39% of the time. Now you are moving Mauer away from the middle of the lineup, with fewer sluggers hitting directly behind him. Should be an interesting experiment.

This will be interesting how it plays out. Even though Mauer has a high on-base percentage, he doesn't score a high percentage. Last year he scored 27% of the time he was on base, Dozier got on less but scored 39% of the time. Now you are moving Mauer away from the middle of the lineup, with fewer sluggers hitting directly behind him. Should be an interesting experiment.

Is that including home runs? Because Dozier was pretty good at scoring himself last season.

 

Is that including home runs? Because Dozier was pretty good at scoring himself last season.

 

HRs will for sure skew that...

 

And, I would argue batting first should help your scoring % go up as well. In the first inning, if you get on, it's with zero outs instead of possibly more. And, hitters 2-5 should be better than each quartet you get as you move down.

 

Just a theory, but it would seem to me all things being equal, Mauer should score in a higher % of the occurrences he's on base in the 1 spot than anywhere else.

Edited May 10, 201610 yr by BK432

Part of this teams problem is that it's best non-Mauer players are all righties (Dozier, Plouffe, Sano, Suzuki) who mash vs lefties. We have faced lefties at a much lesser rate this year than last year.

 

When people talk about BD and TP getting hot or cold...it's usually just byproduct of the handedness of the pitchers we have been facing, and not their overall hitting. With Rosario turning into the very much predicted on here Santana sophomore 2.0, we don't have many lefties we can count on, especially with Molly's unwillingness to bat him 3/4 vs righties, where he should. WTF did he ever say to Molly anyway?

Can he bat 2nd and 3rd as well?  MLB allows ghost runners right?

This should have been tried years ago.It just looks a little desparate right now given the record. I thinks it's a good idea though.

 

I'm fine with Nunez in the 2 hole. Agree with the previous posters. 3/4 should be Sano/Park. Plouffe has some kind of magic spell over Molitor I guess.

 

Is that including home runs? Because Dozier was pretty good at scoring himself last season.

No, home runs are excluded, in the baserunning section of baseball reference below.

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/doziebr01-bat.shtml

 

 

Edited May 10, 201610 yr by ken

 

I agree. But waz Dozier and Plouffe 3/4 ad announced today? Wouldn't the better lineup, based on performance, be:

Mauer
Nunez/Polanco
Park
Sano
Dozier
Plouffe/ Arcia (lhp/rhp)
Arcia/Plouffe (lhp/rhp)
Catcher (doesn't matter which one)
Santana/Rosario

I could see putting Dozier 3rd because he can run but not until he hits better.

Yeah for all the "good" of putting Mauer at leadoff, you basically erase that by putting a struggling Dozier and Plouffe at 3/4.

 

Personally I would go with the following:

Mauer

Dozier

Park

Sano

Arcia

Nunez

Plouffe

 

You could maybe swap Nunez and Dozier I suppose.

 

 

Part of this teams problem is that it's best non-Mauer players are all righties (Dozier, Plouffe, Sano, Suzuki) who mash vs lefties. We have faced lefties at a much lesser rate this year than last year.

When people talk about BD and TP getting hot or cold...it's usually just byproduct of the handedness of the pitchers we have been facing, and not their overall hitting. With Rosario turning into the very much predicted on here Santana sophomore 2.0, we don't have many lefties we can count on, especially with Molly's unwillingness to bat him 3/4 vs righties, where he should. WTF did he ever say to Molly anyway?

Suzuki "mashes" LHP?!?

 

As far as the Twins best "Mauer" players this year, I would put Arcia above everyone you mentioned besides Sano.

It's all about the OBP, baby. Get Mauer on so Park and Sano can bang him in. I'm all for batting Mauer, Nunez, Park and Sano at the top of the order, like BMCACCAL's list above. Send Plouffe and Dozier a wake-up call.

 

It's all about the OBP, baby. Get Mauer on so Park and Sano can bang him in. I'm all for batting Mauer, Nunez, Park and Sano at the top of the order, like BMCACCAL's list above. Send Plouffe and Dozier a wake-up call.

Mauer batting in front of Sano & Park is what we had and it lead to Mauer scoring 10 runs in the first 30 games.  Hopefully the shaking things up, will increase the production by all the hitter.

 

Suzuki "mashes" LHP?!?

 

As far as the Twins best "Mauer" players this year, I would put Arcia above everyone you mentioned besides Sano.

OKAY...I should not have used mash, but I essentially that they all have pretty significant platoon splits that favor facing LHP's. Suzuki '13-'16 avg= .286 vs LHP and OBP=.338 vs LHP. He is much better hitting vs them, but is atrocious vs RHP. The other guys have similar differences in splits. 

Mauer batting in front of Sano & Park is what we had and it lead to Mauer scoring 10 runs in the first 30 games. Hopefully the shaking things up, will increase the production by all the hitter.

true but at 345, there were already two outs by the time Mauer got on base