Atlanta Braves: Fredi Gonzalez Needs To Adjust His Lineup

I don’t understand the logic of Atlanta Braves’ manager Fredi Gonzalez’s batting order. I thought the idea of putting a lineup together was to have your best hitters hit towards the top of the lineup?

The logic simply being the more times your best hitters come to the plate, the more likely it is that you are going to score. Apparently, Gonzalez does not believe in this.

There is no reason what so ever that Jason Heyward is batting sixth in the lineup and Nate McLouth is batting second. Batting Heyward sixth shorts the number of AB’s he is going to get during a game.

On Sunday, McLouth had four AB’s while Heyward had only three. That makes no sense to me.

Heyward has the highest OPS on the Braves. He should be batting second or third.

The quicker Gonzalez realizes that Heyward should be moved up in the order, the better off the Braves will be. Last year, the No. 2 batter in the Braves’ lineup received 56 more plate appearances than the No. 6 hitter in their lineup.

I don’t think Gonzalez wants McLouth hitting 56 more times than Heyward. If he does, well, they might be calling for Bobby Cox to come back.

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