When you were a kid and played baseball, if you were lucky enough to even find 18 kids to play a regulation game, when it came to the batting order you pretty much took your best hitter and put him in the cleanup, or fourth spot in the order and just threw everyone else anywhere you could think. It didn't really matter.

Major league managers have to put a little more thought into their lineups. Each spot in the order, from 1 all the way down to 9 is important. You will never see a manager just "throw" somebody into a spot in the lineup. So, if you're a manager, what do you take into consideration when making a lineup?

The leadoff hitter may very well be one of the most important hitters in the game. Statistics show that when your leadoff, or number one hitter gets on base, your team is more likely to score in that inning than if he doesn't. So it is important that you have a leadoff hitter who can run fast, has a good eye at the plate and is a contact hitter. You don't want somebody who is always swinging for the fences. You want somebody with a good eye so that they can draw a lot of walks. You want somebody who can run fast so that they can beat out a lot of infield hits and maybe even stretch a single into a double. All of these things will contribute to him getting on base more often and having more chances to score runs.

Your number two hitter is somebody who should also be a contact hitter and maybe have a little power. He doesn't have to be a home run hitter but he should be able to hit in the gaps for doubles in order to bring home a quick run if the leadoff hitter gets on and maybe steals a base, another benefit of being fast.

Your numbers 3, 4 and 5 hitters are actually almost interchangeable. They should all have good power and be able to hit at least 30 home runs a season. These are the guys who are going to be driving in the majority of your runs. Some managers put their strongest hitter 3rd and some 4th. The ones who put their strongest hitter 3rd are the ones who want the best chance of getting him up in the first inning to bring in at least a couple of runs. The ones who put him 4th are the ones who want to maximize run potential even though there is a chance he won't get up in the first since there are only 3 outs in an inning.

Your 6, 7 and 8 hitters are usually your weakest hitters, from strongest to weakest in that order. The number 8 hitter however is very important. You want somebody down there who has the best chance of getting on base in some way so that the pitcher doesn't lead off the next inning. So the number 8 slot is one where you don't want to put an automatic out.

The number 9 slot is always for the pitcher as you want him hitting as few times in the game as possible. Most pitchers are bad hitters and therefor you don't want them anywhere near a bat.

There are of course many strategies to making lineups, but these are the basics. If you stick to these, you should have no trouble putting together a good lineup for your team.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Baseball