December 31, 20196 yr There are a few things to cover with the lineup that are really in Renteria's hands: 1) Leadoff hitter - Unless the Sox roll with Robert in the #1 hole from his debut, I don't think the Sox have a natural leadoff hitter. 2) Abreu - As SoxAce alluded to, Renteria will likely give Abreu the 3 hole whether he deserves it or not. Personally, I'll give him the #3 spot against lefties and #6 against righties. 3) Moncada - Renteria loved to get cute with him. Let's not do that anymore. Make no mistake, Renteria is going to piss us off this year. That said, we actually have an abundance of talent that makes it pretty hard for him to screw up the lineup. My rules for Renteria: 1 - Tim Anderson does not bat 1st or 2nd unless there is a lefty on the mound. If there is a lefty on the mound go crazy. 2 - Put Yoan Moncada in the #2 hole in permanent marker and just leave him there. This is with the thinking Abreu is handed the #3 spot. Moncada should be #2/#3 in the lineup. 3 - Do not hit Leury Garcia #1 ahead of superior hitters assuming he fills in for Robert/Madrigal and injured players. Put him 9th and feel good about it. I'd rather see Grandal, Moncada, TA, Madrigal or Robert lead off than Garcia.
December 31, 20196 yr What I would do against righties in 2020 R - CF - Robert - Other than perhaps Yoan, this is our guy. He's going to be electric. If he's 25-80 from the start I'll settle for a .330 type OBP as we have no natural fit for leadoff. R - LF - Eloy - Was at the tops of the league in % of breaking balls seen (if not the top). With Robert on 1B, pitchers will be kept honest or deal with the speed. S - 3B - Moncada - Renteria wouldn't but I would. He's a natural #2 hitter but given the number of cloggers we have (Eloy/Abreu/EE/Grandal/Mazara) I'd want to break them up. R - DH - Encarnacion - He would get the nod to break up the lefties/switch-hitters and because Abreu is subpar against righties. S - C - Grandal - Put him in the 5 hole and forget about it. R - 1B - Abreu - Renteria wouldn't but he should. R - SS - Anderson - Batting champ in the 7 hole is 100% the right thing to do. L - RF - Mazara - No pressure, break up all the righties. R - 2B - Madrigal - No pressure. Let him show if he's the future lead off hitter which I suspect he will be after leading the MLB in K/BB his rookie season.
January 1, 20206 yr Long term vs RHP... 1 Madrigal R 2 Moncada L 3 Robert R 4 Jimenez R 5 Grandal L 6 Anderson R 7-9 ???
January 1, 20206 yr The lineup is so much more explosive when you add Robert & Madrigal to the mix. Hope RH is working on their extensions as a priority for the new year.
January 1, 20206 yr Anderson has hit RHP a bit better than LHP though. Being a high average, low obp guy with good pop, I'd bat him 4th or 5th. Something the following vs RHP: Robert Moncada Jimenez Anderson Grandal Abreu Encarnacion Mazara Madrigal against lefties, move Abreu and Encarnacion up to 4/5 and insert Engel for Mazara
January 1, 20206 yr 2 hours ago, poppysox said: The lineup is so much more explosive when you add Robert & Madrigal to the mix. Hope RH is working on their extensions as a priority for the new year. I wouldn't even know where to begin for a Madrigal extension. 5 years, $15M?
January 1, 20206 yr 10 hours ago, raBBit said: There are a few things to cover with the lineup that are really in Renteria's hands: 1) Leadoff hitter - Unless the Sox roll with Robert in the #1 hole from his debut, I don't think the Sox have a natural leadoff hitter. 2) Abreu - As SoxAce alluded to, Renteria will likely give Abreu the 3 hole whether he deserves it or not. Personally, I'll give him the #3 spot against lefties and #6 against righties. 3) Moncada - Renteria loved to get cute with him. Let's not do that anymore. Make no mistake, Renteria is going to piss us off this year. That said, we actually have an abundance of talent that makes it pretty hard for him to screw up the lineup. My rules for Renteria: 1 - Tim Anderson does not bat 1st or 2nd unless there is a lefty on the mound. If there is a lefty on the mound go crazy. 2 - Put Yoan Moncada in the #2 hole in permanent marker and just leave him there. This is with the thinking Abreu is handed the #3 spot. Moncada should be #2/#3 in the lineup. 3 - Do not hit Leury Garcia #1 ahead of superior hitters assuming he fills in for Robert/Madrigal and injured players. Put him 9th and feel good about it. I'd rather see Grandal, Moncada, TA, Madrigal or Robert lead off than Garcia. Holy F#S# I could not agree more! With every sentiment. 100% spot on thank you.
January 1, 20206 yr 6 hours ago, PantsRowland said: Anderson has hit RHP a bit better than LHP though. Being a high average, low obp guy with good pop, I'd bat him 4th or 5th. Something the following vs RHP: Robert Moncada Jimenez Anderson Grandal Abreu Encarnacion Mazara Madrigal against lefties, move Abreu and Encarnacion up to 4/5 and insert Engel for Mazara I could get on board with something crazy sexy like this!
January 1, 20206 yr Just now, SouthWallace said: I could get on board with something crazy sexy like this! Hashtag Always Bat Robert YoYo Eloy 1-3 Every Game!
January 1, 20206 yr 10 hours ago, soxfan49 said: I wouldn't even know where to begin for a Madrigal extension. 5 years, $15M? It's pointless.
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