Tribe Talk: The Perils of Playing In The Worst Division In Baseball

I think Ben Francisco has done as good of a job as you could ask of him filling in. There really is no one else that you can put in there unless you take someone like Choo out of the middle of the order. Jamey Carroll is a nice option for the two-hole when he plays as well, but he isn't an everyday player, especially with his injury.

 I'm keeping Francisco in the one and going as follows: 3B/2B Jamey Carroll, C/1B Victor Martinez, RF Shin-Soo Choo, DH Travis Hafner, SS Jhonny Peralta, 2B/LF Mark DeRosa, 1B Ryan Garko, Whoever Plays.

Obviously, there are days Kelly Shoppach catches, which would bump Garko out of the first base spot, and he'd just slide in where Garko is. I'd try and get Garko those DH at-bats when Hafner sits though. I'm playing Jamey Carroll a majority of the time at third and second, sharing second with Josh Barfield and maybe Mark DeRosa, while DeRosa plays mostly left. I think Luis Valbuena needs to get sent down to get regular playing time at Columbus, his bat is still not where it needs to be.

Samantha Bunten: I really like Francisco even though he isn't doing the best job of justifying the faith I have in him. I like him in the lead-off spot because he's got speed and is a smart baserunner. Of course, he does need to do a better job of getting himself on base in the first place; currently he’s hitting .212 in 33 at-bats in the lead-off spot. Still, Francisco remains my pick to bat lead-off until Sizemore and/or Cabrera returns.

For the batting order under current conditions, I would like to see: 1. Francisco. 2. Carroll. 3. Choo 4. Martinez 5. Hafner 6. Derosa 7. Garko 8. Peralta 9. Crowe, with Derosa moved to 5th and Shoppach 6th when Hafner doesn't play.

Dave Wiley: Francisco has smokin' speed, so why not? Jamey Carroll is probably the best fit for lead-off since he doesn't have the power numbers of Francisco, but he isn't playing every day. I'd go with five regulars in the first five slots, so Francisco wins the leadoff position.

The Coop: I’m not really sure what qualifies Ben Francisco as a leadoff hitter. I like the guy, but he’s been far from consistent during his career and he has no experience hitting in the 1-hole. But, if I started trying to figure out why Eric Wedge does the things he does, I’d end up in the mental asylum.

I would be interested in seeing Choo or DeRosa at the top. Choo has a great on-base percentage and DeRosa is a polished hitter. Obviously, none would be as good of a choice as Sizemore or even Cabrera, but you’ve got to play the hand you’re dealt. More than anything, I’m just glad David Dellucci is no longer an option!

Once we can figure out who is best suited to bat first, the rest of the lineup card pretty much fills itself out. I’d do it like this: 1. DeRosa-LF 2. Carroll-2B 3. Martinez-C 4. Choo-RF 5. Hafner-DH 6. Garko-1B 7. Francisco-CF 8. Peralta-3B 9. Valbuena-SS.

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