With less than two weeks away from Spring Training it’s time to project your Best 2015 Mets “Friday Night” Lineup. This is the lineup that will score the most runs, have the most success, and be the “rock solid, Friday night against the Nationals, Max Scherzer is pitching, and we need to kick ass and win a game” lineup.
It’s the lineup that you nod your head at and smile when Terry posts it. It’s the lineup you are excited to see, and the one you would hand the ump if you were at the helm.
At this point there are some obvious questions: Who bats leadoff? Where do you hit Curtis Granderson? How do you parlay Duda, Wright and Cuddyer into a group that bunches up the RBIs? Who hits 8th?
So for today’s exercise you simply post your best 1 – 9, on a Friday night, in August, against the Nats, when the team needs a win. Here is one to start us off:
- CF – Juan Lagares
- 2B – Daniel Murphy
- 3B – David Wright
- 1B – Lucas Duda
- LF – Michael Cuddyer
- RF – Curtis Granderson
- SS – Wilmer Flores
- C – Travis d’Arnaud
- P – Matt Harvey
What have you got?
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Dave I like your line up with one minor tweak by switching TDA and Flores.
I’m with you.
1.) Murphy/Herrera(Murph traded at deadline)
2.) Flores
3.) Cuddyer
4.) Duda
5.) Wright
6.) TDA
7.) Granderson
8.) Lagares
I could get behind this one, though some of it goes against conventional wisdom.
Murphy
Wright
Cuddyer
Duda
TDA
Granderson
Flores
Lagares
Harvey. 🙂
I would make it top heavy. But, I would try Jamie’s lineup if Wright and Cuddyer were switched. Another option in Jamie’s is using Wright at #3 and TDA at #2.
Gus you better hope Cuddyer and Duda hit a lot of extra base hits. Can you imagine them on the base paths? Murphy as good a hitter as he is has dreadful instincts as a base runner I would worry about the top of the order’s ability to put pressure on the defenses with their base running skills.
I still think Wright followed by Duda, 3 and 4, will produce the most runs
I think Dave’s lineup is basically what we’re going to see. Hopefully some of the growth Lagares showed at the end of the year will correlate to him being a decent leadoff hitter
Granderson
Flores
Wright
Duda
Cuddyer
TDA
Murphy
Lagares
That’s only if Wright is playing like his old self, if not then TDA 3rd, Wright 5th, Cuddyer 6th. It really gives Flores a chance to see if his hitting will be as good as they say it could be. And think its the best balanced lineup. But wishful thinking since Collins doesn’t make drastic changes and doesn’t think outside the box.
Angel, just asking, but how do you put a proven and decent MLB bat like Murphy seventh, but put Flores #2 and TDA #6?
And a guy that can’t get on base 1 hole.
As far as Granderson goes its wishful thinking and lack of a standout option. For the last month of last yr he hit .276/.364/.500 so combine that with reunion of Kevin Long and that should be decent. Not expecting any miracles but you can compare those number to our most consistent hitter in Murphy even though he did it all yr.
Optimizing the lineup and not just putting the best hitters in the top and giving a younger guy like Flores a real chance. Murphys (the worse base runner) only other spots are 2nd and maybe switched with TDA but banking on TDA (based off 2nd half of last yr) having a better yr then Murphy. And if the scouts are right Flores offense should be solid with steady playing time and protection behind him.
Not if Collins bats him in the 8 hole.
Murphy
Granderson
Wright
Duda
Cuddyer
TDA
Flores
Lagares
Murphy
D’arnaud
Wright
Duda
Cuddyer
Granderson
Lagares
Tejada (yes, Tejada)
Pitcher
I like your lineup Dave. I think we could flirt with the idea of Flores leading off, as he’s kept a nice OBP throughout the minors, and would get a lot of fastballs to hit. I think Lagares and the team benefits more from his leading off though. Interesting discussion, but unfortunately I don’t think the game lineups will be nearly as innovative as some suggestions here.
Thanks Patrick. Lots of folks are putting Murph at leadoff….I need to noodle on that a bit…I’d actually like to see Murph bat 6th.
Scherzer is a RHP so:
Murphy
Granderson
Wright
sorry, computer malfunction:
Murphy
Granderson
Wright
Duda
Cuddyer
TDA
Lagares
Flores
Harvey
Vs a LHP I would lead off Lagares and drop Murphy to sixth.
I prefer Granderson in the two hole over Murphy because Granderson pulls the ball more than Murphy, hits more HR’s to generate more opportunities to score runs and has a slightly better OBP than Murphy. I hope TDA out performs Cuddyer in a positive way this year and therefore those two could be switched in the order also by August. Lagares because of his speed ahead of Flores will provide more scoring opportunities when Flores drives the ball.
1. Lagares showed he can run and steal. He needs to increase is OBP from 321 with more walks 13 of 17 on the basepath
2. Murphy pure contact hitter. can steal some bases. Double
3. Wright Must produce like years past or else this lineup is powerdoomed
4. Cuddyer has shown much production from the cleanup slot both in Colorado and in Minnesota. In 2006 109 RBI 24 HR
5. Duda batting average drain big bopper He could flip flop with Wright if needed
6. Granderson needs to get his stroke back from when he was in Detroit. In 2007 he had 23 3b, 23 HR and 38 2b. this is the Grandy we need
7. d’Arnaud needs to make the next step with contact and driving balls in gap
8. Flores/Tejada or player to be named. The big question mark
It’s a solid lineup as long as Cuddyer stays healthy and Flores hits. The trickle down effect of the inevitable Cuddy injury is what scares me.
I like some of the ideas posted here. We are all facing the basic problem that this roster is filled with #2, #6, and #7 hitters. There is no prototypical leadoff hitter, no truly scary cleanup hitter, and no one I really trust to bat #8 (except Tejada, but I won’t go there). Now we are trying to make do with what we have.
Our Platonic ideal of a lineup looks like this:
#2: Murphy, Flores
#6: Wright, Duda, Cuddyer,
#7: Granderson, Lagares, D’Arnaud
Okay, just to post something different, I guess I’d go:
1. Lagares
2. Murphy (L)
3. Wright
4. Duda (L)
5. D’Arnaud
6. Flores
7. Cuddyer
8. Granderson (L)
I’ve seen enough of Granderson. He’s a veteran and can set a good example by taking some walks in the #8 hole. My priority is to give Lagares and Flores some pitches to hit, and this version gives us a very long lineup. I don’t love the three righties in 5-6-7, but we may pinch-hit for Cuddyer for defense in the late innings anyway.
Having Granderson bat 8th means pitchers will pitch around him and he’ll get fewer good pitches to hit. How many times per year does the batter in the 8 hole get intentionally walked so that they may face a weak hitting pitcher? It takes the bat out of Grandy’s hands. While being creative and different I don’t think Collins would be allowed to bat Grandy 8th with the Wilpons paying him 15 million dollars a year. Maybe have him switch with Flores?