# Coaching Baseball & Setting The Lineup **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 14, 2003, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coaching-baseball-setting-the-lineup/188367 "2003-07-14T13:28:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Penumbra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9f8e36/32.png) [@Penumbra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penumbra)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coaching-baseball-setting-the-lineup/188367/1 "2003-07-14T13:28:37Z")
I will soon be helping coach a local amature adult baseball team and would like some tips on how to set up the batting order and field positions. I know that as far as field positions go I should let them play whatever position they are most comfortable with but I am a little unsure on how to set the batting order. Here is an example: 1 - Tim - Fastest runner and best hitter for contact with not much power. 2 - John - Second fastest runner with a little more power than Tim and still a good hitter for contact. 3 - Frank - About as fast as John but with more hitting power. 4 - Joe - Not very fast on the bases but the most powerful hitter on the team. 5 - Nate - An average hitter for power and contact but slow on the bases. 6 - Justin - An average hitter for power and contact but slow on the bases. 7 - Penumbra (me) - Second most powerful hitter, good for contact, a little slow on the bases. 8 - Blake - He sucks. 9 - Tavarus - Sucks worse than Blake. Please change the lineup as needed. ---
**Author:** ![daniel801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@daniel801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daniel801)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coaching-baseball-setting-the-lineup/188367/2 "2003-07-14T14:12:05Z")
Looks pretty good. I would move you up to 5th and shift Nate and Justin down one. The thinking is the following: when Joe (the big hitter) is at bat the other team may want to pitch around him so they dont have to face him. So to counteract that, you make sure your next batter “protects” him, by being a big threat as well. ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coaching-baseball-setting-the-lineup/188367/3 "2003-07-14T14:39:16Z")
Remember that contact is not the only important thing for a top of the lineup hitter. A guy that hits .275 but has an OBP of.425 (due to good plate discipline leading to walks) is probably a better table-setter than a .305 hitter with a .340 OBP. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coaching-baseball-setting-the-lineup/188367/4 "2003-07-14T16:33:22Z")
Managers in the Majors tend to bat the best power hitter third and the second best fourth. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coaching-baseball-setting-the-lineup/188367/5 "2003-07-14T17:52:06Z")
Since you’re looking for advice more than facts, I’ll move this thread to IMHO. bibliophage moderator GQ ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coaching-baseball-setting-the-lineup/188367/6 "2003-07-14T20:01:10Z")
Honestly, the lineup order doesn’t matter much. You might want to switch around every few games and just let folks bat in different slots just for fun. Remember the order is going to go all to hell during the course of the game, anyway. Unless you are batting around a lot during the game or having a lot of 1-2-3 innings. In either of those cases you’re lineup still won’t matter much since everyone is either rocking or getting rocked. I would agree with **Mullinator** to look closer at OBP than BA if you really want to get effective with the top of the lineup. You’ve got a pretty good order going for all intents and purposes, though. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coaching-baseball-setting-the-lineup/188367/7 "2003-07-14T22:16:07Z")
It’s been pretty clearly established by the SABRmertric community that, over a season, lineup order has very little effect on runs scored. So do what you will. Have fun with it and move players around as suits your whim. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coaching-baseball-setting-the-lineup/188367/8 "2003-07-15T00:53:57Z")
Other things being equal, the last batter shouldn’t be too slow. You want somebody who can get around the bases in that spot, as the best sticks are following. Over a full season, the leadoff batter will come up more than anyone else. #2 will bat second most, etc. Your season may not be long enough for that to matter much, but then baseball is a game of inches. Small things are the difference between success and failure. Have fun. ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coaching-baseball-setting-the-lineup/188367/9 "2003-07-15T05:19:27Z")
Since we’re discussing lineup order, here’s my question: Is there any real benefit in moving the pitcher to the 8 hole, a la La Russa’s move during McGwire’s home run chase? Could a team really get more offense by putting a speedy leadoff type in the 9 spot, giving them two stolen base threats back to back? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coaching-baseball-setting-the-lineup/188367/10 "2003-07-15T12:49:32Z")
No. LaRussa just likes to screw around. It still leaves a hold (offensively) this time between the 7 and 9 hitter instead of the 8 and 1 hitter. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coaching-baseball-setting-the-lineup/188367/11 "2003-07-15T12:58:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \* > \*\*Managers in the Majors tend to bat the best power hitter third and the second best fourth. \*\* Actually, they tend to put their best hitter, period, at #3. This is the guy who won’t strike out much and can hit for excellent power AND average. Often teams will have a great power hitter who can’t hit for average - and who strikes out a lot, to boot. He bats fourth or fifth.