Batting order (baseball)
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- This article is about baseball. For other meanings, see batting order.
The batting order in baseball is the sequence in which the nine members of the offensive lineup take their turns in batting against the pitcher. The batting order is set by the manager before the game begins (although substitutions may subsequently take place). If a team bats out of order, it is a violation of baseball's rules and subject to penalty.
[edit] Positions in the lineup
The first player in the batting order is known as the leadoff hitter. Generally the leadoff batter is the fastest baserunner on the team; because he bats more often than anyone else in the lineup, and in order to have baserunners when the later hitters with more power come to bat, his need for a high on base percentage exceeds that of the other lineup spots. It is also considered disadvantageous to have a faster player behind a slower if they are on consecutive bases, particularily first and second base. Once on base, his main goal is to advance around the bases as quickly as possible and then to score. Because leadoff hitters are selected primarily for their ability to reach base and for their speed, they are not typically power hitters. Another important role for the leadoff man is to reveal the pitcher's ability and to "wear him out" by forcing him to throw as many pitches as possible.
The second batter, most often just referred to as in the two-hole, is usually a contact hitter with the ability to bunt or get a hit, although the art of bunting is becoming increasingly rare nowadays. His main goal is to move the leadoff man into scoring position. Often, these hitters are fairly quick and tend to avoid grounding into double plays.
The third batter, in the three-hole, is generally the best all-around hitter on the team, often hitting for a high batting average but not necessarily very fast. Part of his job is to help set the table for the cleanup hitter, and part of it is to help drive in baserunners himself. Third-place hitters are best known for "keeping the inning alive." However in recent years, many managers have tended to put their best slugger in this position. Babe Ruth usually batted third in the lineup during his career; recent examples are David Ortiz, Barry Bonds, Todd Helton and Albert Pujols.
Recent research suggests, however, that it is conterproductive to bat the team's best hitter third, especially if the one and two hitters have lower on base percentages. This is because if both the one and two batters make outs in the first inning, the three hitter will be up with none on and two out, which not the ideal situation for a team to score runs in.
The fourth player in the batting order is known as the cleanup hitter, and is almost always one of the best hitters on the team; often the one with the most power. Baseball managers tend to place hitters who are most likely to reach base ahead of the clean-up man, so that the fourth batter can "clean" the bases by driving these baserunners home to score runs. His main goal is to drive in runs, although he is expected to score runs as well. In fact, the fourth spot in the order has the luxury of being somewhat "protected" from bad situations early in the game: the batter only rarely faces a spot with two outs and no baserunners in the first time through the order – possible if, for example, one of the first three batters hits a home run and the other two make outs. If nobody gets on base, the cleanup hitter will have a chance to start a rally in the second inning by being the first batter, with zero outs. However, hitting cleanup also requires an exceptional level of talent, and the ability to deliver big hits in important situations (bases loaded, 2 out).
The fifth and sixth (and sometimes seventh) batters have traditionally been RBI men, with the main goal of driving runners home, especially with sacrifice flies. Modern sabermetric baseball theory suggests that even these batters should have high on-base percentages, though this approach has not been universally adopted. The fifth batter is usually a team's second-best power hitter, and his purpose is often to "protect" the clean-up hitter in the batting order; he is expected to pose enough of a threat to opposing teams that they will refrain from intentionally walking the clean-up hitter in potential scoring situations.
The seventh and eighth batters are often not as powerful as the earlier batters, and do not have as high a batting average. They are still expected to produce, but they have less pressure in those spots. The main pressure on the eighth hitter comes when there are two outs: in this case, he must battle the pitcher to get on base so that the ninth hitter can come up. That way, even if the ninth hitter gets out, the top of the order will come up next. The eighth batter is often a good contact hitter, and can be used as a back-up #2 hitter. In leagues without designated hitters (DHs), the catcher will often bat eighth, as they are often employed for their defensive skills and handling of the pitching staff, and tend to have a relatively low batting average. However, this is by no means always the case.
The ninth batter is considered as another leading hitter, not necessarily as the weakest hitter on the team in recent years although many tend to think that way. Nine-hitters tend to be fast, but not to have as good batting or on-base average as the leadoff hitter. However, when the league doesn't allow DHs, the ninth batter is usually the pitcher. If there is someone on first or second base with fewer than two outs when the ninth hitter is up, he will almost always bunt. However, a notable alternative exists to this, in which the pitcher or weakest hitter actually bats in the 8th slot, and another player with decent OBP and speed bats in the 9th slot, thus creating a kind of second leadoff hitter, at the bottom of the lineup, that loops to the top of the order afterwards. This has been used sparingly in the major leagues, but was notably employed by St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa in the second half of the 1998 baseball season.
