Breaking the mold

[Frayed Knot]

Adam Rubin: The game's consummate leadoff hitter is headed to the No. 3 hole in the New York Mets' lineup. Manager Jerry Manuel has informed Jose Reyes that he intends to bat the shortstop third this weekend against the Atlanta Braves in an attempt to jumpstart the team's dormant offense. "I said, 'Whatever is best for the team, I'm going to do it,'" Reyes told ESPNNewYork.com. "I don't have any problem."



Way to get radical Jerry.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Wright 5th, I'm guessing.

[metirish]

Bravo old chap, bravo

[Frayed Knot]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Wright 5th, I'm guessing.

I'm thinking fourth as Bay looks at least as confused as Dabid.
Something along the lines of:
Pagan
Castillo
Reyes
Wright
Bay
Francoeur
Davis
Catcher
Pitcher

might even swap Davis & Francoeur if a RHP is going

[Guest Edgy DC]

He's also torn between the two values of (1) breaking up hitters who all bat from the same side, and (2) keeping the pressure off of the rookie by batting him in the back end of the lineup. It'll be interesting to see how and when he resolves that.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I won't believe it till I see it. Today's Snooze said Jerry was still thinking it over, with the idea being Bay to bat 4th behind Reyes (or Pagan). There is a new lineup story every morning.

[metirish]

The Snooze also had speculation on Davis getting moved up.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Newsday intimated that Bay may be slotted second.

[Benjamin Grimm]

So did the News. The reason for that is that Bay would be helped by seeing more fastballs if he was batting with Reyes on first base.

[soupcan]

Didn't they just take 3 of 4 from the Cubs with Jose leading off?

And aren't they 4-2 in their last 6?

Just askin'.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: So did the News. The reason for that is that Bay would be helped by seeing more fastballs if he was batting with Reyes on first base.

Ah, yes. From the "Sounds Good, So It Must Be Good" school of logic.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I like the idea of trying him batting in front of Wright, however.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I can go for that... Yup Yup. Yes, can do.

Even more so, I'd like what I'll call the Speed ExchangeTM to be my fruit at the bottom of the yogurt-cup.

Castillo
Reyes
Wright
Bay
Francoeur
Davis
Barajas
PITCHER
Pagan

[Guest attgig]

well, at least we're not sending johan to the bullpen.......

[Chad ochoseis]

What I want to know is how Tony LaRussa figured out LWFS's password.

[Benjamin Grimm]

He's a genius, remember?

[batmagadanleadoff]

This story is beginning to annoy me. All of this deliberation and hesitation and false starts and back and forth over this no-brainer that Reyes should be slotted down one or two slots in the lineup.... And the thing of it is that Jerry doesn't even seem to understand why Reyes shouldn't be batting leadoff. Instead, he seems to have just blundered into the right move. Because the key to this is to have Castillo leading off. It's not so much that Reyes shouldn't be leading off but that Castillo, for reasons already mentioned here about 100 other times, shouldn't be following the leadoff hitter. Just do it already.

[metirish]

I can't look at this thread now without Judas Priest's "Breaking The Law" repeating in my head.

[seawolf17]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: This story is beginning to annoy me. All of this deliberation and hesitation and false starts and back and forth over this no-brainer that Reyes should be slotted down one or two slots in the lineup.... And the thing of it is that Jerry doesn't even seem to understand why Reyes shouldn't be batting leadoff. Instead, he seems to have just blundered into the right move. Because the key to this is to have Castillo leading off. It's not so much that Reyes shouldn't be leading off but that Castillo, for reasons already mentioned here about 100 other times, shouldn't be following the leadoff hitter. Just do it already.

Or perhaps Dave Magadan.

I agree 100% with Castillo leading off.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, where do we start, by convincing him the bunt isn't so important that you need to deliberately keep productive batters from hitting there, or by convincing him to move Castillo and hope he forgets that it would reduce his bunting opportunities?

Because that's what it all comes down to.

[Guest attgig]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: So did the News. The reason for that is that Bay would be helped by seeing more fastballs if he was batting with Reyes on first base.

one thing that I don't get about this is that David Wright is no slouch on the basepaths himself. he's going to distract pitchers with his ability to steal....so... does this logic seem flawed? or does reyes distract pitchers that much more than wright?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Not that I'm demanding you buy the theory, but the idea is more about fastballs than distraction.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Well, do pitchers throw more fastballs when a "speedster" like Reyes is on base with second base open?

It seems reasonable to think that a pitcher would be less eager to throw an offspeed pitch in that situation. Problem is, even if Bay hits behind Reyes, more often than not Reyes doesn't reach base, and sometimes when he does reach base, there will also be a runner on second. So I don't know if Bay would see enough additional fastballs for it to make much of a difference at all.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, I agree, though there is the occurrence of him not being on but the leadoff batter (also, preumably, a base-stealing threat) is, and a basestealer on second doesn't absolve the pitcher from thinking about him.

I just prefer Bay in front of Wright because it's not working the other way around.

[TransMonk]

I think this whole thing reeks of managerial desperation. I hope it works, but if it doesn't, it has to be the final nail for Jerry.

[Frayed Knot]

Well, if the guys don't hit it's not going to matter what order they're put in.
I can't call it desperation seeing as how I've been for getting Reyes off the lead-off spot for about 2 years now, although maybe Jerry sees it that way and is only doing it because he's out of other ideas.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

all you don Lagreca boyfriends oughhta be listening to what an ignorant cocksucking retard he is about this lineup switch.

[ashie62]

metirish wrote: I can't look at this thread now without Judas Priest's "Breaking The Law" repeating in my head.

yes, the Mets are a manly team

Bat Reyes first

[bmfc1]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: all you don Lagreca boyfriends oughhta be listening to what an ignorant cocksucking retard he is about this lineup switch.

You're absolutely correct. I was listening and wanted LaGreca to stand-up to Kay and possibly defend the Mets but he was slurping up what Kay was putting out.

[Fman99]

Studies have shown, listening to Kay and LaGreca will give you super AIDS.