30
2009
Playing With The Mets Lineup
An article by 
Adam Rubin, posted tonights lineup for the game against the Baltimore Orioles.
1. Jose Reyes, ss
2. Daniel Murphy, lf
3. David Wright, 3b
4. Carlos Delgado, 1b
5. Carlos Beltran, cf
6. Ryan Church, rf
7. Ramon Castro, c
8. Luis Castillo, 2b
Jerry Manuel has suggested on a few occasions that Murphy would be his choice to bat second this season. However, he continued to use Castillo in the two hole for most of the spring. With just one week until opening day, it looks like Manuel has penciled a lineup that we just might just see again on April 6th when we take on the Reds in Cincinnati.
Obviously, Brian Schneider will be batting in the seventh spot, but for the most part this is how it will most likely play out.
I’m a little concerned about Carlos Beltran batting fifth, and wonder if anyone else shares those sentiments?
I realize that it’s meant to break up the lefthanded hitters, but at what cost?
I wonder what we can expect when the Mets face a lefty on the mound, and the lineup were to include Fernando Tatis?
1. Jose Reyes
2. Ryan Church/Daniel Murphy
3. Carlos Beltran
4. David Wright
5. Carlos Delgado
6. Fernando Tatis
7. Brian Schneider
8. Luis Castillo
This lineup seems more balanced to me with Beltran hitting third and Wright in the cleanup spot.
Manuel continues to call Murphy his everyday left fielder, and you might remember that he hinted Tatis would platoon with Church rather than Murphy. We still don’t know if that was purely to get a rise out of Church or if he meant it.
Tatis has had an impressive spring, and I do hope he’s in there no matter what against southpaws.
As for Castillo batting eight… I know many Mets fans would rather see him bat second, and who knows… maybe he will impress everyone and work his way back to the number two spot. In that event, with an “effective” Luis Castillo batting second, the Mets lineup looks very scary…
Versus LHP
1. Jose Reyes
2. Luis Castillo
3. Carlos Beltran
4. David Wright
5. Carlos Delgado
6. Fernando Tatis
7. Daniel Murphy/Ryan Church
8. Brian Schneider
Versus RHP
1. Jose Reyes
2. Luis Castillo
3. David Wright
4. Carlos Delgado
5. Carlos Beltran
6. Ryan Church
7. Daniel Murphy
8. Brian Schneider
Wow… both of these lineups are deep with offense. Castillo could play a big role if he can capture his old form and help to make all of this work.
One last note… After watching Carlos Delgado in the WBC and in Mets camp, I no longer have any doubts that he will put together a full season that will be comparable to last year’s second half. If he pulls it off, this could be one of the best offensive teams the Mets have ever put together.
Those are two big if’s… Castillo and Delgado… But if I were a betting man, I’d bet good money that those two will come out and show everyone they still have plenty left in the tank this season.
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
Went to my first Mets game, a Mayors Trophy game at Shea, in '73. We beat the Yankees 8-4 and I was hooked. I marched in two Banner Day parades, and before the Grand Slam single, there was the "Hendu Can Do" grand slam - I was there. I've collected Mets memorabilia all my life and started Mets Merized Online to feed my addiction.
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I think Castillo should bat 9th in all cases …. after the first pass thru the order.
Here is what I think:
Vs. RHP
Reyes
Castillo
Beltran
Delgado
Wright
Murphy
Church
Schneider
Why I like Beltran in the 3 spot: While its easy to see both Beltran AND Wright in the 3 spot, I think Wright will perform better in the 5 hole. With Murphy batting 6, there is limited protection, as his power is substantially less than Wright/Beltran. Wright controls the strike zone better than Carlos, and is much less likely to get himself out. Further, Beltran has not performed as well as he can batting in the 5th spot, while he had his best year in Queens out of the 3 spot, with Delgado behind him.
If you bat Beltran 5, then spots 4-8 will be LH batters, or in Beltran’s case, batters who are better from the left side. It makes it too easy for the opposing manager to go through the bottom of the Met lineup late in games. Remember the stat last year about how teh team was constantly outscored in the late innings? This sort of lineup construction was part of the issue. Batting Wright 5th works to circumvent the issue.
Against LHP’s:
Reyes
Castillo
Wright
Beltran
Delgado
Tatis
Murphy
Castro
You’ve pretty much got the L-R-L-R lineup construction here, which would lead to favorable bullpen matchups late in games.
As for the Murph/Castillo debate, both have the ideal qualities of a 2 hitter, in that they are selective at the plate, and get on base at a high clip. Murph however, has much more pop than Castillo, which is nice out of the 2 hole, but absolutely necessary in the lower part of the order, particularly in the 6th spot in the order. With Castillo in the lower part of the order, the Met offense would scare nobody outside of the first 5 hitters.
I’ve also thought the idea of batting Castillo 9th would be something very good to try, but ultimately, I don’t think Jerry will go with it. Of course if the lineup is slumping, then it may be worthwhile.
READ SLOWLY.
WRIGHT WILL NEVER BAT CLEAN-UP IN A MET UNIFORM.
As much as I am rooting for castillo to rebound the one really bad thing about him batting #2 is that pitchers willALWAYS pitch around Reyes if firstbase is open.
Reyes is a good RBI bat and will be wasted every time first base is open with Castillo behind him
Wright hits for a better average than Beltran and he is more feared than Beltran. He’s the Pujoles of the Mets. He needs to hit third in every lineup. Beltran’s .280 is not enough for the third spot. bat Beltran second if you want to see him hit in the first inning guaranteed.
I think castillo should lead off. In the event that jose is on fire, castillo could already be on base and jose could hit a double and that would score castillo. and then its as if the lineup just started with a 1-0 lead.
Castillo
Reyes
Beltran
Delgado
Wright
Church
Tatis/Murphy
Schneider
Pitcher
I think thats a well balanced lineup than jose leading off.
Here is my variation to the lineup which keeps the lefty-righty alternation:
1. Jose Reyes, ss
2. Daniel Murphy, lf
3. David Wright, 3b
4. Carlos Beltran, cf
5. Carlos Delgado, ib
6. Ramon Castro, c
7. Ryan Church, rf
8. Luis Castillo, 2b