Atlanta Braves: Time to Move Ozzie Albies Down in the Batting Order?
By Seth Carter
Is it time for the Atlanta Braves to move Ozzie Albies down in the order? We take a look at the numbers and let some of the fans weigh in.
During the Atlanta Braves 1995 Championship season, Jeff Blauser and Mark Lemke shared the majority of the two-hole plate appearances. Neither one was known for much with the bat. In fact, Lemke only hit out of two lineup spots that entire season, the two-hole and the eight-hole.
Over the past few years, the image of the prototypical two-hole hitter has changed drastically to the point of confusion. When I was growing up, the number two hitter was always a scrappy middle-infielder who would hit behind the runner, put the ball in play, and had no power, a lot like Lemke and Blauser.
The prevailing line of thought now tends to lean more toward having one of your best, if not your best, hitting second. You want your best hitters to get the most at-bats, right?
Managers began using players like Mike Trout and Joey Votto in the two-hole with much success. There is a lot of debate as to which method is the best. We’ll look at the pros and cons of hitting your best hitter second.
The Benefit of Hitting Your Best Hitter Second
Moving a player up from the three-hole to the two-hole is worth about 15-20 more plate appearances per season.
The Benefit of Hitting Your Best Hitter Third
In a 2006 article by John Dewan with Bill James Online, John showed us the number of times each lineup spot came to bat with runners on base. The three and four hitters come to the plate with runners on base more times than the one and two hitters.
Having high OBP players in the first two spots will provide your three and four hitters with EVEN MORE opportunities to drive them in.
The reason Freeman is not hitting second this season is simple, we don’t have a DH like last year. This means our best run producer will have fewer opportunities to drive runs in.