Clutch time for Mr. Reyes. I'm never thrilled with Jose when he's been hitting as many fly balls as he has recently, but every once in a while it works out. This time, very much so.
Speaking of which, I've been having a radical thought about our lineup. Tell me what you guys think of this:
1 A Reyes
2 Beltran
3 Reyes
4 Wright
5 Delgado
6 Tatis
7 Chavez
8 Schneider/Castro
I was just thinking, I'm so tired of being frustrated that Reyes doesn't hit like a prototypical lead off guy, showing a good eye and plate discipline. Instead, he's a free swinger who goes through long hot and cold streaks, which is more typical of a power/RBI guy. What if we had a high OBP guy at the top of the lineup, and dropped Reyes down to three hole. Hey, he's going to hit as many dingers this year as Mex did in a typical season in the Mets 3-hole. And while he's at 80 dingers in the lead off spot, that could easily be 90's or 100's in the 3 hole. In the 3 hole, he still wouldn't sacrifice that many AB's, but would be in the position to plate a lot more runners. With his good gap power and average HR power, along with his high BA, he could be an excellent 3 hitter, with the speed just being a big plus.
Beltran always said he was most comfortable in the 2-hole, and certainly loves to bunt guys over. And anyways, we need to get the guy back on track, and getting him up in the lineup for some extra AB's and less pressure-packed RBI spots could be good. And Carlos has the speed for the two hole.
The only real drawback is, do we really have a high OBP guy who could leadoff in lieu of Jose? Argenis is just up there b/c I couldn't think of anyone else. But there's got to be someone out there we could get relatively cheap. It seems like there are plenty of high average/low power 2B's in the league. I can't really think of one off the top of my head, but...oh wait--I can think of one: Jeff Keppinger. Wonder what he'd look like in a Mets uniform?
Keppinger
Beltran
Reyes
Wright
Delgado
Tatis
Chavez/F Mart
Schneider/Castro
I like it.
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1 comment:
I've never liked Jose's relatively low OBP for a leadoff batter being in our #1 spot. As I see it, here are the pros and cons of bumping him from #1:
Pros:
1. Take advantage of his unusual power for leadoff guy, he'll pick up more RBIs, key on a team that could desperately use them and stinks with RISP.
2. Get a higher OBP in #1 spot.
Cons:
1. He'll be bitching incessantly about being taken out of leadoff; does Manuel have the ability to get him in line without affecting his play?
2. He will get fewer ABs in a season, and since he scores so many R that might not be made up by extra RBIs he gets in 3-hole compared to 1-hole. Also, the fewer times he is on base, the fewer times he is a distraction to opposing pitcher. On the other hand, it might be even more productive if our #4 guy is benefiting from pitcher distraction, compared to #2 guy.
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