Thoughts on the New Lineup

Cox finally shifted the batting order around last night, moving KJ out of the leadoff spot into the 6 hole, Escobar up one spot to number 1, and Kotchman taking his spot at 2. The early results sure looked good, as the Braves exploded for 8 runs and 13 hits against the Rockies Tuesday night. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though, as the team hit .262 Tuesday, one point below the team's average for the month of May. That being said, it was definitely time for a change, and there are a few to like about this new lineup and few things that worry me. 

I'm as a big a fan of KJ as the next guy, but he has hit .191 at leadoff this year and .267 there for his career. This is the third year that Cox has tried him at leadoff, and the third time that it's failed. When he hits in 6 - 8 spots in the lineup, KJ has a career BA of .325. He seems to be a little more comfortable hitting lower in the order, going 3 for 4 last night ( and raising his average 18 points). Hopefully Cox will get the picture. 

Escobar certainly has had more success leading off, with a career BA .316 in 75 games there. One thing I don't like about the Cuban Missile (it will stick!) hitting first was evident on the first pitch of the game, when he went up there hacking and grounded out to second. I know that Yunel is a first pitch hitter, and he certainly has success that way, hitting .360 when he swings at the first pitch. However, I like a leadoff guy to see work the count and see some pitches. It gives the other guys a chance to see what that pitcher has on a given night as well as boosting his pitch count. The Missile is about as far from this as you can get, seeing only 3.2 pitches per plate appearance, good for third to lowest in the NL (just ahead of Cristian Guzman and Bengie Molina). Indeed, the Braves are dead last in the league in pitches/PA and only have one regular who sees more than the league average of 3.84: Jordan Schafer. So we'll have to see how it goes with Escobar hitting there, but at least the bar has been set low.

Not sure what to make of Kotchman in the 2 hole. Over his career, he has hit about .300 regardless of his position in the order, but I feel like he is a walking, talking double play waiting to happen. However, in an order with no speed and very little power, he may be the lesser of many evils...

It was about time that Cox did some shuffling, and the immediate results sure look promising. Not sure what the lineup will look like tonight: with the Braves going against a lefty, we may see Infante at second. But, if the Missile is going to leadoff against righties, I hope he's given the chance to do it on a full-time basis.