Empyreal Environs

Chris Snow from the Boston Globe announces the batting order for the 2005 season:

1. Johnny Damon
2. Edgar Renteria
3. Manny Ramirez
4. David Ortiz
5. Kevin Millar
6. Jason Varitek
7. Trot Nixon
8. Bill Mueller
9. Mark Bellhorn

I had expected Bellhorn to keep his spot in the 2-hole, so I’m a bit surprised. His high strikeout rate has been discussed ad nauseum, but Bellhorn’s OPS of .817 is superior to Renteria’s .728. Renteria also grounded into more double plays (14) than Bellhorn (8, something that lessens the impact of his strikeouts). Renteria saw slightly more pitches than Bellhorn, but he also had more at bats, so this doesn’t seem to be a determining factor. Renteria does well batting second, going 276/311/417 in 228 at bats. I think one reason for shifting Bellhorn down is that Renteria has more speed. For example, if Damon doesn’t get on base, at least Renteria could be someone that could get from first to third on a single.

Not that we want Ortiz and Ramirez to hit singles. There was some consideration to switch the Dynamic Duo, and Snow alludes to some tension regarding their spots in the order.

It’s a luxury to have such a lethal combination. Although feelings might be bruised, keeping the status quo in this situation is borne out by the team’s winning ways when Ramirez bats third and Ortiz bats fourth. David Borges notes that Terry Francona’s decision was based primarily on the team’s record of 45-15 at the end of the season. However, there were many other factors that drove the team’s success in the stretch run. When given two superlative hitters like Ortiz and Ramirez, perhaps the order doesn’t matter, as long as one protects the other.