A few weeks ago, I was listening to a podcast show. In the show, the host indicated that a player doesn’t like to hit at the No.2 spot. Well, I don’t know why that player doesn’t like to bat second. However, I was just thinking which teams did correctly put the right players to be the second batter in the lineup. To understand a little bit more, I went to check on the MLB website.
The Tampa Bay Rays have a great start in the 2023 season. By far, the Rays have already won 29 games, leading the majors. The Rays now have an OPS over .800. In particular, they truly put the right players to bat second. When batting second, Wander Franco and Brandon Lowe each have an OPS over 1.000 and have collected 10+ RBI so far.
In addition, the Cardinals’ batters, who are batting second, are hitting well. By far, the Cardinals’ players who bat second have an OPS over .900. Alec Burleson and Paul Goldschmidt are two major players who bat second in the Cardinals lineup. While batting second, Burleson slashes .291/.339/.509 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI. Moreover, Paul Goldschmidt, who won the 2022 NL MVP award, now slashes .342/.385/.712 with 6 home runs and 12 RBI when he is the second batter in the lineup.
At the same time, the Braves are now leading in the NL East. They have an OPS over .800 thus far. And, Matt Olson is the player who bats second in the Braves lineup everyday, he slashes .250/.382/.551 with 11 home runs and 29 RBI.
Meanwhile, in the NL Central, the Pirates are leading the division. The team has an OPS of .742 now. And, their players who bat second are doing a great job with an OPS over .900. Bryan Reynolds primarily bats second for the Pirates this year. He currently bats .299/.336/.522 with 5 home runs and 23 RBI while batting second.
By far, some teams have made a good decision to put the right players to bat second. However, for some teams, they might have to think more.
There’s something interesting. The Minnesota Twins are leading the AL Central. But, the team has an OPS below .700 thus far. Looking at their batters who bat second. They only have an OPS of .533. Carlos Correa and the Twins agreed to a long-term deal in January. But, he’s not hitting well when he’s the second batter in the lineup. By far, Correa only hits .162/.233/.324 while batting second.
In the meantime, the Brewers have an OPS over .700 after playing 36 games. Nonetheless, the Brewers’ batters who bat second are not productive. In particular, Jesse Winker and Willy Adames each have 60+ plate appearances of batting second, but they each have an OPS below .600. Furthermore, the Oakland A’s only won 8 games so far. The A’s batters who bat second have an OPS below .600. The Mets’ batters who bat second haven’t been productive, either. We have seen that MLB teams tend to have power hitters to bat second these days. However, not every batter is able to hit well while batting second. For some teams, the managers and front office staff might have to think again to put the right player to bat second.
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