Gomes is batting leadoff tonight

Gomes is leadoff tonight - what's your reaction

  • worth a shot

    Votes: 55 41.0%
  • ummmm. okay?

    Votes: 48 35.8%
  • horrible idea

    Votes: 15 11.2%
  • Jimy Farrell

    Votes: 16 11.9%

  • Total voters
    134

AlNipper49

Huge Member
Dope
SoSH Member
Apr 3, 2001
44,855
Mtigawi
McAdam is reporting that Gomes is leading off tonight.  
 
https://twitter.com/Sean_McAdam/status/451792517135347713
 

Bergs

funky and cold
SoSH Member
Jul 22, 2005
21,627
Given how badly Doubront is gonna get lit up, we could probably have the '27 Yankees out there and lose.
 

Ed Hillel

Wants to be startin somethin
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2007
43,592
Here
Against lefties, I think he's a good fit at 1 or 5 in the order, given his high SLG and OBP (you could make an argument anywhere in the top 5, but 2-4 are set on this team on most days). If Farrell wants to trust Xander at 5, I'm happy with that. I think Farrell is a stinky in-game tactician throughout the regular season, which can be very frustrating, but I like pretty much everything else he brings to the table.
 

Curll

Guest
Jul 13, 2005
9,205
Couldn't care less.
 
Let him pitch for all I care.
 
OUTLAW BASEBALL!! WOOOOOO!!
 

Savin Hillbilly

loves the secret sauce
SoSH Member
Jul 10, 2007
18,783
The wrong side of the bridge....
If you look at that lineup, the only plausible alternatives vs. Chen would be Pedroia and Bogaerts. Pedroia prefers not to lead off IIRC, and Farrell probably doesn't want to put that on Xander quite yet.
 
Anyway batting order is overrated, beyond the general concept of having your best hitters higher up so they get more PAs.
 

nvalvo

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
21,510
Rogers Park
I was bitching about Gomes yesterday, so it's only fair to come to his defense today. I love the move for three reasons. 
  1. Gomes' high OBP against LHP. 
  2. Gomes' high P/PA against everyone. 
  3. Gomes' smart base running. 
It's not unprecedented. Joe Maddon batted Gomes leadoff twice in his Tampa days. 
 

Joe D Reid

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jan 15, 2004
4,209
One of the limiting factors here is that Farrell is trying to "protect" X-Bogs, Middlebrooks, and JBJ to varying degrees by batting them down in the order. Once you decide to protect 1/3 of your roster, plus bury the catcher as most teams have to, you run out of options real quick. That's especially true against LHP given the more persistent splits you see with L vs L matchups. 
 
I personally think the protection idea is a little silly--would WMB feel even worse about striking out all the time if he were hitting 6th?--but I understand the thinking. So you just live with some weird lineups on getaway days.
 

rembrat

Member
SoSH Member
May 26, 2006
36,345
Edit: Response does not belong on the main board. I am very happy. 
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,850
C4CRVT said:
 
Also, his career split vs LHP is .277/.377/.502 and he grinds out at bats so we could certainly do worse.
 
His numbers are definitely good, but not sure what definition you're using for grinding out ABs. He's just slightly above league average in pitches/PA.
 
Gomes' high P/PA against everyone.
 
 
Gomes career: 3.86
League average: 3.79
 

Red(s)HawksFan

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 23, 2009
20,676
Maine
Seems like the big objection to Gomes leading off is that he doesn't fit the prototypical mold (i.e. he's not speedy).  But Gomes is arguably one of the best base runners on the team.  Certainly one of if not the smartest baserunner.  That can make up for being a step slower than the more prototypical lead-off guy.
 

kazuneko

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 10, 2006
2,818
Honolulu HI
Obviously the best option statistically (career .400 OBP against LHP)  is Pedroia - but he doesn't want to do it.  Take Pedroia out of the discussion and Gomes is the best available option.
The interesting question is whether or not you switch to Victorino (.373 OBP and a Gomes equaling .879 career OPS against LHP for his career) once he returns.  Probably yes, but I am terrified to think that they might also consider Vic for the job against RHP (career .323 OBP) as well.