On the topic of strategy, we'll discuss bench strategies the Jays could employ against right-handed pitchers this season.
When every player is healthy and a right-hander is starting for the bad guys, the Jays should trot out a line-up that looks something like this:
ORDER NAME BATS PRI SEC OBP R SLG R OPS R OBP L SLG L OPS L 1 Cat L LF RF,1B 367 469 836 266 297 563 2 Hudson B 2B 353 448 801 264 332 596 3 Wells R CF 326 491 817 359 512 871 4 Koskie L 3B 388 505 893 330 381 711 5 Shea R DH 1B,3B 327 460 787 342 475 817 6 Hinske L 1B 3B 346 443 789 309 395 704 7 Rios R RF CF,LF 326 385 711 374 376 750 8 Zaun B C 325 363 688 347 361 708 9 Adams L SS 388 597 985 182 100 282Where "SEC" represents secondary positions that these nine have played over the last three seasons. I didn't bother filling in "DH" for any of these players, under the assumption that any hitter can meet the defensive demands of not playing defense. The OBP/SLG/OPS figures are from the 2002-2004 seasons. As always, keep sample sizes in mind, particularly for young players such as Adams and Quiroz.
Here's my best guess as to the composition of the bench:
ORDER NAME BATS PRI SEC OBP R SLG R OPS R OBP L SLG L OPS L x Johnson R LF RF,CF 324 365 689 357 478 835 x Menech R 2B 3B,SS 345 332 677 367 465 832 x McDon R SS 2B,3B 271 315 586 264 304 568 x Quiroz R C 250 276 526 280 217 497 x Myers L C 365 474 839 338 373 711When Myers is healthy, it is likely he'll be on the 25-man roster and Quiroz will be in AAA.
Looking at the above line-up, there are two players that I can't see taking out for a defensive replacement or pinch-hitter: Vernon Wells and Shea Hillenbrand. Let's examine the other seven.
1. Frank Catalanotto
Since Reed Johnson is a better defensive player in LF, you've got to replace Frank with Reed if you don't expect the #1 slot in the order to come up in the game again. An obvious example is the bottom of the 9th when the Jays are leading on the road. That one is a no-brainer.
Cat is particularly weak against lefties, so when there's a left-handed reliever, you'd want Reed in there. Of course, if you use Reed to pinch-hit, the opposing manager may pull the lefty to put in a righty reliever. In that case, would you rather have Cat vs. the lefty or Reed vs. the righty? It depends on who the two relievers in question are, but in most cases I think you'd rather have Reed in there, particularly since your defense will end up getting a boost as well.
2. Orlando Hudson
This one is a bit tougher, since Orlando is such a terrific defensive player and is starting to improve vs. southpaws. If you're down in the 9th and the other team has a left-handed closer, you've got to pull the O-Dog and use Menechino or Reed to pinch hit. That's a no-brainer.
I can't see Orlando ever getting pinch-hit for when the Jays have the lead. His glove is far too valuable. The difficult decision comes when the Jays are down by a run or two in the 8th with men on base. Do you let the O-Dog hit against a lefty, or do you put Menechino in there? I think in most cases the opposing manager will have a righty warming up to face Wells, so if you put Menechino in, he'll bring in the righty a batter earlier than planned. Because of that and the drop in defense if you have Menechino or McDonald play 2nd, I don't think you'll see Hudson pinch hit for before the 9th.
4. Corey Koskie
Koskie has had some trouble against lefties, but unless it's the ninth inning against a left-handed reliever, I think you have to leave him in. There are other spots to use Menechino and Reed Johnson as pinch hitters, and the defensive drop-off between Koskie and Menechino is significant.
6. Eric Hinske
This slot is going to cause problems for the Jays late in a game. Unless Hinske gets his stroke back, I wouldn't want him at bat late in a game with runners on, particularly if a lefty is on the hill. At the same time, it's going to be difficult to pinch hit for him. The only player other than Hinske who is really qualified to play first is Hillenbrand, but if you put Hillenbrand at first, you lose the DH (and the pitcher has to bat in the DH slot) unless you perform a double-switch:
-
The Designated Hitter may be used defensively, continuing to bat in the same position in the batting order, but the pitcher must then bat in the place of the substituted defensive player, unless more than one substitution is made, and the manager then must designate their spots in the batting order. Rule 6.10
7. Alexis Rios
If Cat is on the bench, I could see using him to pinch hit for Rios if a righty is on the hill. Since Cat is almost certainly going to be in the starting lineup when a righty starts, I don't see Rios getting pinch hit for.
8. Gregg Zaun
If Myers is healthy, I imagine he'd pinch hit for Zaun against a tough right-handed reliever. With Quiroz on the bench, I don't see this happening. I imagine the team would rather have Zaun's defense late in a game than Quiroz's, since Quiroz is still learning the ropes.
9. Russ Adams
Ignore the OPS figures; they're useless with such a small sample size. Late in the game you want John McDonald at short for his defense, similar to how you'd want Reed Johnson over Cat. Russ is a lot less likely to get pinch hit for rather than Cat, since you would not use John McDonald as a pinch hitter. Thus to pinch hit for Russ you shorten your bench by two players: the pinch hitter and John McDonald. Unless Gibbons gets creative with the double-switches, I don't see Adams getting pinch hit for too often.
Conclusion
When a right-hander starts expect to see Frankie Cat and Russ Adams pulled for defensive subs late in the game. Due to the small size of the bench (only 4 players), don't expect to see too many other moves, though in the 9th inning Hudson, Koskie, and possibly Hinske could be pinch hit for if the situation warrants.
In Other News...
- Fordin: "Blue Jays stumble against Rays"
- Fordin: "Towers learned his lesson"
- Millson: "Jays want quick start to April"
- Blair: "Walker hopes World Series is in the Cards"
- Ganter: "Major-league prankster: Jays better keep an eye on Koskie"
- Ganter: "Chacin draws raves"
- Davidi: "Chacin eyes No. 5: Jays pitcher wants to start"
- AP: "Devil Rays double Jays"
- Baker: "The road to the major leagues is a lot longer for Jays prospect John Hattig than it is for most aspiring pros"
- Woolsey: "In big-league baseball, if the truth be told, cheaters do prosper"
- Griffin: "From backup in Toronto to second-fiddle in Tampa Bay, Kevin Cash wants the chance to become a starter"
- Zwolinski: "Alomar eyes 3,000 hits before ending his career"
- Ganter: "Lilly okay, Rios not?"
- Elliott: "Remembering a terrific trio"
- Ganter: "Jays off to a fast start at box office"
- Gross: "Lockout won't help, hurt Jays"
