Joe Mauer is batting second in today’s game against the Mariners, which most people think is the right move. You want your best on base hitters to get on early and often. Line up efficiency researchers have even said that the best hitters should bat 2nd, because it allows for them to be on base with good hitters behind them and chances to hit with runners on base immediately behind them. If they have a little power, they can get speedy lead off guys around as well.
Phil Miller of the Star Tribune says this:
Joe Mauer is back in the No. 2 spot in the order; Gardenhire said that spot had RBI chances last night, and he realized he preferred Mauer being at the plate to Brian Dozier. With the bottom of the lineup hitting lately, it was an easy move to make, he said.
So, the bottom of the lineup is getting on base, so the logical step is to.. move Mauer up…. to drive them in… If, as I noted, the idea of having good on base hitters get on base early is the logic behind having Mauer move up to 2nd in the lineup, why wouldn’t those guys in the bottom of the order also move up in the order?
If the motive is to score more runs by having Mauer up when there are more runners on base, why were Carroll and Dozier batting 1-2 to begin with? If the Gardenhire really thinks the batting order is better with Joe Mauer batting second so he can drive in runs when the bottom of the order gets on base, then… I don’t know. What the hell? This is a very strange, circular logic that is impossibly weird. We have to be missing something, right?
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