FanPost

Why I would bat Ender 9th against LHP

Assuming it's already been settled that the top of the order against RHP will be Inciarte, Donaldson, Freeman, Acuna, I'm a big fan of batting Albies 1st against LHP and moving Inciarte to the 9th spot as a second lead off hitter.

1) I don't think we're really going to sit Inciarte against LHP. Sometimes, sure, but he won't platoon.

2) Swanson seems likely to sit against LHP in favor of Camargo more often than not, making Inciarte the 8th most valuable hitter against LHP. The following assumes Swanson is not in the lineup.

3) Maybe Inciarte is more valuable than Flowers, but Flowers is better at taking that walk in front of the pitcher or hitting a homer. He's also fully capable of getting to 2nd on a pitcher's bunt.

4) The 8th hitter gets about 16 more AB's than the 9th, and there's about 1 LHP for every 3 RHP, so we're talking about 4 less PA's for someone who bats 9th against LHP instead of 8th. Assuming he does yield some starts against LHP, we're probably talking about the difference of 2-3 ABs. https://fantasy.fangraphs.com/buying-generic-plate-appearances-by-lineup-spot/

5) Inciarte is less valuable as a hitter against LHP, but equally valuable as a base runner.

6) 2-3 of the PA's from the pitchers spot will be pinch hitters, and we have bats to match or beat Inciarte coming off the bench against LHP

7) The 9th hitter averages about 1 less AB per game than the lead off, so Inciarte would always be a lead off hitter out of the 1st or 9th spot, but he'd get 1 less AB per game against LH Starters.

So I really don't think we lose more value from those 3 Ender AB's than we gain when he's on base with one less out in front of Albies, Donaldson, Freeman, Acuna. It's also nice to be able to simplify Inciarte's role as a lead off table setter. Considering the top heavy nature of our lineup, this would be especially valuable. What do yall think?

My lineups would be

Vs. RHP

Inciarte

Donaldson

Freeman

Acuna

Markakis

Camargo / Albies

McCann

Swanson

Pitcher

Vs LHP

Albies

Donaldson

Freeman

Acuna

Markakis

Camargo

Flowers

Pitcher

Inciarte

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