Thanks for everyone's thoughts on the lineup. It's interesting to see how very differently people handle it. Uncleal picked the lineup that's closest to what I've been doing. Here's what I've been running most recently:
1. RF Bourne
2. C Molina
3. 1B Craig
4. DH Venable
5. CF Heyward
6. LF Smith
7. 2B Sogard
8. 3B Uribe
9. SS Simmons
I figured I didn't really have a classic leadoff guy, so I went with the best baserunner, even though he had a low OBP. Molina and Craig are the best two pure hitters, so they are a bit of a toss-up for #2 & #3. Venable has the best slugging of any full-time player. Heyward and Uribe had the next two best slugging - Heyward won the spot for having a better OBP. Smith and Uribe were reversed earlier in the season, but Uribe's been underperforming something terrible, while Smith has managed a .303 average thus far, so I caved and switched them. Sogard has been my main 2B, preferring to leave the more flexible LeMaheiu on the bench for pinch hitting and playing passable defense anywhere in the infield. Simmons has to be in the lineup for his glove, but early in the season, he was leading in homers and RBIs, while batting in the .230's. He only this week got passed by Heyward. It felt strange having my HR and RBI leader batting 9th, but a .230/.270/.400 line kept him there.
For a long time, I had LaRoche playing DH and batting 5 or 6, but his line keeps hovering around .235/.330/.385 and has only hit 12 homers, so I finally relegated him to a reserve role. If Venable, Craig, or any of the OF get tired, he comes in to 1st or DH, perhaps moving Craig to the OF. I've been platooning Murphy at 3B against lefties, and that's seemed to keep him 98-100%. Sweeney has become a last resort OF, as his good glove isn't that much better than my current OF, and his bat has been abysmal - currently batting .198.
While it's been a challenge, tinkering to find the best lineup has been fun!
8/28/2014 11:13 PM (edited)