Where do you want Hart batting?

[Hate those Rodents]

Just want some opinions on this. Should he lead off still or do we need him to help beef up the middle of our order more?

[BillScottCanRake]

I want him hitting first or second.

 

If Weeks is going to lead off, I'd really like Hart to hit second and put Hardy's 330 OBP someplace else (5th or 6th). The Brewers should be getting as many base runners as possible on in front of Braun and Fielder, and Hart's OBP is a fully .030 points higher than Hardy's.

[Nader Raider Tim]

Alot of where I want to see Corey is dependent on whether or not Rickie Weeks can handle leading off. If Rickie's back then this is what I would want to see, at least for a few games to see what happens.

 

1 - Rickie Weeks

2 - Corey Hart

3 - Ryan Braun

4 - Prince

5 - Hall (when healthy)

6 - JJ Hardy

7 - Jenkins/Mench/Graffy

8 - Estrada/Miller

 

I would like to see that lineup for a week or so and see how Rickie, JJ and Corey would respond. It would be nice if Rickie could return to last years form, getting that OBP above .350. Corey is a player that probably can be put anywhere in the lineup and will succeed, and JJ might just need a shakeup.

 

With how much the Brewers use the bench having a set lineup is kind of pointless, but this is what I would like to see.

[rluzinski]

If Weeks is going to lead off, I'd really like Hart to hit second and put Hardy's 330 OBP someplace else (5th or 6th).

 

That's exactly what I've been advocating for some time. Hardy has some nice pop for a SS but he hasn't really developed any OBP skills yet.

[LouisEly]

On a related note, I think a significant reason Braun is having such a phenomenal season is because he is batting in front of Prince. Thus he is being "pitched to" and getting more pitches to hit because they don't want to pitch to Prince with runners on base. With that in mind, I think Braun is starting to build that same fear into opponents, so I think Weeks could actually benefit from hitting second as opposed to first. Have Hart lead off, then Weeks - that may make teams to pitch to Weeks more, and thus cut down on the number of pitches he waves at out of the strike zone because they are pitching around him to get to the pitcher when he hits in the 8th spot.

 

On that same token, Hart has the bat to do some damage hitting in front of Braun as well. So either way I think Weeks and Hart should be 1/2, and JJ has cooled down (not only in OBP, but his SLG is now well under .500 and his OPS is under .800). JJ could benefit from being in the 8th spot, thus drawing more walks to get his OBP up.

 

The beauty of a guy like Hart is that he has the speed to hit at the top of the order, but also the power to hit in the middle.

[danzig6767]

On a related note, I think a significant reason Braun is having such a phenomenal season is because he is batting in front of Prince. Thus he is being "pitched to" and getting more pitches to hit because they don't want to pitch to Prince with runners on base. With that in mind, I think Braun is starting to build that same fear into opponents, so I think Weeks could actually benefit from hitting second as opposed to first.Have Hart lead off, then Weeks - that may make teams to pitch to Weeks more, and thus cut down on the number of pitches he waves at out of the strike zone because they are pitching around him to get to the pitcher when he hits in the 8th spot.

 

Fielder managed to win NL Player of the month with Estrada batting after him,guys get pitched to no matter where they hit unless a total scrub is batting behind them.

 

If Bill Hall had been following Braun instead of Prince,i think Braun would still have outstanding numbers.You can't go walking guys in most game situations,it just has to many pitfalls given you're around 70% likely to get out even good hitters.

 

Weeks hasn't been making so many outs because he was batting 8th and teams were pitching around him.He was brutal because Weeks wasn't able to hit an offspeed pitch if his life depended on it,even hanging curves and sliders.His mind and mechanics were a mess.He'd take fastballs right down the middle,then flail at sliders off the plate or hanging offspeed stuff he should have crushed.

 

Instead of being pitched around,they went right at him.Get ahead in the count on Rickie and then fed him a steady diet of sliders/curves/changeups,what followed we all saw.Regardless where Weeks hits,once he lays off all those crappy sliders off the plate and makes pitchers throw him stuff he can handle,he'll improve.

[JohnBriggs12]

I think Hart can hit anywhere but Weeks has to be at or near the top of the order. I felt from day one it was a mistake to bat Weeks 8th. It totally negated his number one asset, speed. When the 8th hitter gets on with less than 2 outs, he gets bunted over anyway. With 2 outs if he runs, big deal, the pitcher is still batting.

 

Besides, for the Brewers to be the team they can be it is mandatory that they get Weeks going. He's a whole lot more likely to get his bat going batting in front of the boppers on this team than hitting 8th.

[Ennder]

While I think Hardy makes an ok #2 I'd much rather see Weeks and Hart #1 and #2.

[jhart05]

I agree with "Nader Raider Tim".

 

That's the lineup I use in my MLB07: The Show season.

Sometimes I flip Hart and Hardy. But basically I stick to that lineup.

[Barbs4339]

Well, let's see where this thread takes us in a couple of days. If Weeks lead off again tonight and tomorrow, and goes 0-8, the tone of this thread will change significantly. It sounds as though many agree Weeks should be at the top, mainly because our short term memory shows us he's been on base 6 out of 8 times. Just don't jump all over the decision if there are some bumps in the road. I agree with Weeks, Hart, and then Hardy batting 6th.

[jhart05]

I don't think it's short term memory.

 

With a normal hitting Weeks, most of us think the team is better with him at leadoff, and Hart somewhere in a run producing spot because of his power.

 

We are hoping, for the sake of the team, that he can stay there and get the job done. At least I am.

[BillScottCanRake]

Well, let's see where this thread takes us in a couple of days. If Weeks lead off again tonight and tomorrow, and goes 0-8, the tone of this thread will change significantly. It sounds as though many agree Weeks should be at the top, mainly because our short term memory shows us he's been on base 6 out of 8 times.

 

I don't get that impression at all.

 

What I see people saying is if Yost is going to bat Weeks first, they want Hart to hit second. If Weeks hits someplace else, they want Hart to hit first.

[BrewCrewForever]

1 - Rickie Weeks

2 - Corey Hart

3 - Ryan Braun

4 - Prince

5 - Hall

6 - JJ Hardy

7 - Jenkins/Mench

8 - Estrada/Miller

 

That seems like the winner to me once Hall is back which I believe is supposed to be by Wednesday.

[1992casey]

I think you're going to find a lot of similarity between a good Weeks and a good Hart. With Corey, I'm happy with him in a lot of lineup spots.

 

Depending on circumstances (who's hot, who's not, who's hurt, who's available), I'd be happy with Corey being placed anywhere from #1 to #6.

 

Hey gang, as noted in the forum FAQ, let's save full lineups for the lineup thread. Full lineups tend to remove focus from the players relevant to this discussion.

[BrewCrewForever]

I like the idea of Hart batting 1 or 2 best, but yeah anywhere 1-6 is a good spot for him.