Before a baseball game starts, managers have to set the lineup. Managers need to place a player in the right spot to score more runs. I was just thinking about the production of the batting order. From the first player in the lineup to the ninth player in the lineup, which team did perform well last year?
Looking back at the 2021 season, the Reds leadoff hitters posted an OPS of .887. Among the Reds players, Jonathan India who won the 2021 NL Rookie of the Year award had 468 plate appearances as a leadoff hitter and he was hitting .275/.383/.482 with 17 home runs and 46 RBI when batting first. Moreover, we saw the Orioles leadoff hitters had an .884 OPS last year. The main reason is that Cedric Mullins had 666 plate appearances as a leadoff hitter. Mullins had a great 2021 season. When batting first, he had a .291/.360/.517 slash line and crushed 29 home runs.
The second batter in the lineup was usually a contact hitter. However, MLB teams tend to have power hitters to bat second now. Last year, Jesse Winker who had 355 plate appearances at batting second and Nick Castellanos had 146 plate appearances at batting second. When batting second, these two players each blasted 10+ home runs. The Reds will need to figure out who’s the best player to bat second this year since Winker was traded to the Mariners and the team didn’t re-sign Castellanos.
Each team normally puts one of their best hitters to bat third. Hence, it’s not a surprise to see higher OPS on the chart. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was batting third 586 times for the Blue Jays last year and he didn’t let the team down. When batting third, Guerrero Jr. slashed .316/.406/.625 with 43 home runs and 97 RBI. In addition, the 2021 NL MVP Bryce Harper batted third for the Phillies 540 times last year and Juan Soto had 519 plate appearances as the third batter in the Nationals’ lineup. When batting third, they each owned an over 1.000 OPS.
Previously, it was very common to see a power hitter to bat fourth. But now, MLB managers might not always place a power hitter on the cleanup spot. Last year, the Padres placed 15 different players in the cleanup spot. Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jake Cronenworth and Eric Hosmer each had 100+ plate appearances in the cleanup spot for the Padres. As a cleanup hitter, Machado and Tatis Jr. each owned an OPS over 1.000 in 2021.
The 3rd,4th and 5th hitters in the lineup are called the “heart of the order.” Hence, we know that the fifth batter is also quite important in the lineup. In 2021, Brandon Crawford had 217 plate appearances at batting fifth for the Giants and C.J. Cron had 282 PAs at batting fifth for the Rockies. When batting fifth, they each owned a 1.000+ OPS.
Last year, the Astros, the Giants and the White Sox each saw their “sixth hitters” in the lineup with an over .800 OPS. Kyle Tucker batted sixth 249 times for the Astros last year and he had a .942 OPS with 15 home runs.
Now, let’s look at the bottom of the lineup. Batters in the bottom of the lineup are usually less powerful than earlier batters. Andrew Vaughn and Leury Garcia each had 100+ plate appearances at batting seventh for the White Sox last year, but only Vaughn had an OPS over .800.
The eighth batters of the Red Sox posted a .777 OPS last year. Christian Vazquez and Bobby Dalbec each had 100+ PAs at batting eighth for the Red Sox. Dalbec hit .310/.352/.531 with 4 home runs and 22 RBI when batting eighth.
Last year, only the Royals and the Yankees saw their ninth hitters in the lineup with an OPS over .700. In the National League, each team normally puts a pitcher to bat ninth.
Looking only at the top 3 in OPS, we can see that MLB teams place the most productive hitters to bat third. Moreover, with the universal DH rule in 2022, the NL teams don’t have to place a pitcher to bat ninth as they usually did and we shall see an increase in OPS by the NL teams in 2022.
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