Milwaukee Brewers: Building A Better Batting Order
By Joe Kiemen
According to a sabermetric optomized lineup a team’s 3rd hitter should be focused on RBI production. What does this mean for the Brewers?
After dealing with the speed of Villar and pure hitting ability of Ryan Braun, opposing pitchers will likely be pitching to the 3rd hitter with men on base.
This is the ideal scenario according to followers of sabermetrics. Give your best hitters the most opportunities to get on base and then drive them in.
Who will do this for the Brewers?
The ideal candidate for this duty is Chris Carter. Despite his high strikeout numbers and .321 OBP, Carter has the ability to drive in runners.
No one is going to put money on Chris Carter winning the batting title and he doesn’t have to for the Brewers to be successful.
On the season, Carter led his team with 41 home runs and 94 RBI’s.
Reifer’s study notes that the 3-hole is only ranked 5 out of 9 in terms of OBP importance. Meaning, that Carter is the perfect fit for the team’s 3rd hitter.
Apparently, Craig Counsell thought otherwise. When Ryan Braun was out of the lineup for rest, he choose to use Hernan Perez in the slot.
While no one can argue Perez’s production this season, it is even harder to argue against Carter’s power.
According to baseball tradition, the third spot of a lineup is reserved for the teams best hitter. But, this came from a philosophy that overemphasized batting average.
No one is going to put money on Chris Carter winning the batting title and he doesn’t have to for the Brewers to be successful.
With the awareness of stats such as OBP, SLG% and WOBA teams can optimize their lineup to produce runs. This is why the Brewers should entertain the idea of batting Chris Carter 3rd next season.