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November 11, 2005
Reviewing the Ranger Lineup: #5 Hitters
Explanation of stats here.
American League #5 Hitters and Ballpark Adjustment
Category | On-Base % |
Slugging % |
OPS |
American League #5 Hitters | .338 | .452 | .790 |
Park Factor - The Ballpark | 1.011 | 1.042 | --- |
Adjusted for The Ballpark | .342 | .471 | .813 |
The league's #5 hitters have the third highest OPS in the league. Not until the #6 spot does the quality really decline. For the Rangers, the question is whether Alfonso Soriano performed well in the #5 position as opposed to his preferred location atop the order.
Texas Rangers #5 Hitters: The Team
Category | Texas |
AL Rank |
OPS and L-OPS+ | .829 / 102 |
4 |
On-Base % and L-OBP+ | .321 / 94 |
12 |
Slugging % and L-SLG+ | .508 / 108 |
4 |
Runs | 108 |
2 |
Homers | 36 |
2 |
RBI | 111 |
2 |
Walks | 47 |
9 |
Strikeouts | 120 |
10 |
Steals | 25 |
1 |
Steal % | 93% |
1 |
(R-HR) % | 38% |
1 |
Texas Rangers #5 Hitters: The Players
NAME | % of Team PA |
OPS |
L-OPS+ |
BA |
OBP |
L-OBP+ |
SLG |
L-SLG+ |
R |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
SB |
CS |
A. Soriano | 76% | .838 | 103 | .270 | .315 | 92 | .523 | 111 | 82 | 30 | 93 | 27 | 93 | 24 | 2 |
R. Hidalgo | 8% | .609 | 50 | .192 | .263 | 77 | .346 | 73 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
K. Mench | 8% | .810 | 101 | .267 | .365 | 107 | .444 | 94 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
D. Dellucci | 5% | 1.100 | 171 | .333 | .471 | 138 | .630 | 134 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
Other | 3% | .828 | 100 | .238 | .304 | 89 | .524 | 111 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Soriano produced to expectations, reaching base consderably below the park-adjusted league average but compensating with a thunderous stick. He also personally stole more bases from the #5 spot than any other team's players combined. I haven't done any research, but I'd guess that speed in the #5 spot comes in quite handy as it provides the later, lesser hitters to drive him in with just one single. Hidalgo flopped here (as elsewhere), Mench batted capably, and Dellucci spent a week here early in the season while inhabiting Jason Giambi's younger, healthier body.
Would Soriano have reached base at the league average anywhere else in the lineup? He would not. Even batting ninth he'd have an L-OBP+ of 99. In his favor, he'd also have an L-SLG+ of at least 103 at any lineup spot. Soriano is what he is. Better to bat him fifth than first or third, where he spent most of 2004.
American League #5 Hitters
TEAM | OPS |
L-OPS+ |
rank |
OBP |
L-OBP+ |
rank |
SLG |
L-SLG+ |
rank |
NY Yankees | .974 | 143 | 1 |
.399 | 117 | 1 |
.575 | 126 |
1 |
Detroit | .834 | 110 | 2 |
.334 | 98 | 9 |
.500 | 111 |
2 |
Boston | .803 | 103 | 3 |
.363 | 107 | 2 |
.440 | 96 |
9 |
Texas | .829 | 101 | 4 |
.321 | 94 | 12 |
.508 | 108 |
3 |
Minnesota | .787 | 101 | 5 |
.336 | 100 | 6 |
.450 | 101 |
5 |
Baltimore | .784 | 100 | 6 |
.337 | 100 | 8 |
.447 | 101 |
4 |
Cleveland | .774 | 100 | 7 |
.338 | 101 | 5 |
.436 | 99 |
7 |
Tampa Bay | .776 | 99 | 8 |
.335 | 100 | 7 |
.441 | 99 |
6 |
Oakland | .764 | 95 | 9 |
.357 | 105 | 3 |
.407 | 90 |
13 |
Kansas City | .747 | 92 | 10 |
.326 | 96 | 10 |
.422 | 96 |
11 |
Chicago Sox | .781 | 92 | 11 |
.329 | 96 | 11 |
.451 | 96 |
10 |
Seattle | .744 | 92 | 12 |
.312 | 93 | 13 |
.433 | 99 |
8 |
Toronto | .765 | 91 | 13 |
.344 | 101 | 4 |
.421 | 90 |
14 |
LA Angels | .707 | 82 | 14 |
.306 | 91 | 14 |
.402 | 90 |
12 |
New York's Hideki Matsui spent just over half the season in the five hole and batted .333/.397/.557. Alex Rodriguez played 41 games there and batted, ahem, .347/.461/.728. Steve Finley, Juan Rivera and Darin Erstad accounted for most of LA's middle-of-the-order wretchedness. Only Bengie Molina managed to hit well over a decent number of plate appearances.
Posted by Lucas at November 11, 2005 08:36 PM