Lough hasn't been a slouch for getting on base.

So you are going to totally marginalize your best hitter by stacking three lefties in a row at the top of the order? :hmmm:

WTF do I care about lefties? Seriously. WTF? No one is getting marginalized. I am putting the best 3 hitters at the top that have the best chance of getting on base. Right now, Gordon, Lough, Hosmer is my 1-3 with Perez, Butler, Cain 4-6, Moose, Gia, Escobar 7-9.

I have no problem with Hosmer in the 2 hole and would far prefer that to ever seeing Alcides Escobar there again.

A lot of teams have moved to that approach, putting a premium hitter in the 2-spot. It has worked quite well for Minnesota with Joe Mauer.

I think freaking out about Hosmer at 2 vs. Hosmer at 3 is just moving deck chairs.

Don't set a lineup worrying about innings 7-9. Cross that bridge when you get there.

It's not freaking out. It's pointing out that it is being done at the expense of a better option, imo. Right now I think Lough is the man at #2. Good contact hitter, good speed, helps set the table for Hosmer's power. Mauer is also not a HR hitter where Hosmer is or can be and that's a big difference. I would rather my power guy be hitting with 1 or 2 guys on more than empty bases.

So you're going to ignore a third+ of a players at-bats, and arguably the most important at-bats since you have now knocked out the starter. There is no way to cross that bridge if you have no one you can effectively sub in for Gordon/Lough/Hos.

Hosmer has 9 HRs on the season, so let's not crown him a "power guy" just yet. And if you're OK with him hitting with 1 or 2 guys on, you should be cool with him hitting in the 2 hole, since Gordon's OBP is strong.

Lough's OBP is too driven by batting average, so we're going to see this go down during the second half.

I'm not batting Lough second, but if he were indeed one of our best hitters, I would not hesitate to set this lineup.

Get your best batters the most ABs. Period.

I am saying Hosmer should be more of a power hitter than Mauer. That being said, Lough is all of .003 behind Hosmer in OPS so why not stick him in the #2 and let the more powerful guy hit behind him?

Pitching splits are real, Deez. Lineup construction does matter as a result of this fact. I have no idea how either one of us is going to convince the other that one philosophy is correct, but damn!

Comping for a difference in AB's, the best Slugging on our team sits with Butler, Gordon, Hosmer, Lough and Perez. There is your 1-5 in some order and I would stick Lough at #2. That's just me.

So as it stands right now, anyway, Lough is among the 4 best on the team in OBP, SLG and OPS....so why is it bad to put him at #2 between Gordon and Hosmer?

Plus the intangible is Lough can stretch hits into a double where Hosmer can't thus making Hosmer even more valuable hitting behind him.

Splits are very real, so this is why I support your theory of going L-R-L-R as much as possible, Ned. o:-)

Get your best hitters the most ABs. I stand by this philosophy above everything else.

Gordon: Bats Left
Lough: Bats Left
Hosmer: Bats Left

A LOOGY can come in and wipe out the top (ie best run producing portion) of your order with the effectiveness of a closer.