My Lineup Card Would Look Like This

Now that the Phillies have started to get healthy (*knock on wood*), we got to see something that resembled an actual Major League Baseball lineup.  Then came a six-hour game, and the lineup had to be reshuffled again.  Someday this thing will get situated, and that’s where you come in… the question to you:  What would the Phillies lineup look like if YOU ran the show?  How much does Chase Utley need to rest?  How often should Domonic Brown play? Should they ease Brown in with a platoon situation, or just throw him in the deep end to see if he can swim?

Shane Victorino will hopefully be returning very soon, Utley looks like he’ll need to sit every few games…and with everyone’s favorite, Placido Polanco, still the best hitter on the team, who bats 2^nd?  Who bats 3^rd?  There is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding this team, and a lot of ways our issues can be resolved.

Tell us your lineups vs. Lefties and vs. Righties….    Something the eye-test-guys and the saber-heads can have some nice discussions about!

If I had my say:

Phillies lineup vs. Right-Handed Pitchers (RHP)

1. Rollins, 2. Polanco, 3. Utley, 4. Howard, 5. Victorino, 6. Brown, 7. Ibanez, 8. Ruiz, 9. Pitcher

Phillies lineup vs. Left-Handed Pitchers (LHP)

1. Rollins, 2. Utley, 3. Polanco, 4. Howard, 5. Victorino, 6. Francisco, 7. Ibanez, 8. Ruiz, 9. Pitcher

*I would try to rest Utley every day-after-night game…and when he needs a breather, try to make it against LHP … (with OPS for his career almost identical against LHP and RHP, but Utley has a career batting average of .297 vs. RHP, and .283 vs. LHP… Higher OBP vs. LHP than vs. RHP…but Higher SLG% vs. RHP than vs. LHP, etc…) Basically Utley is pretty damn good no matter who is on the mound, but playing the percentages of baseball – resting him OCCASSIONALLY vs. Lefties should help more in the long run. (With Utley resting vs. a LHP: 1. Rollins, 2. Victorino, 3. Polanco, 4. Howard, 5. Francisco, 6. Ibanez, 7. Ruiz, 8. Valdez, 9. Pitcher)

*Also, I think Domonic Brown needs to start in RF every single time a RHP is on the mound, and unless Francisco and/or Mayberry is killing it vs. LHP, he should start to play against those pitchers more often too.  A straight platoon of Brown RF, Ibanez LF vs. RHP, and Francisco RF, Mayberry LF vs. LHP doesn’t do much to help anyone’s overall development… but if we’re just playing the odds, it could be the best way to generate offense this season???

Where did I go wrong? 

Tell us what you would do in Charlie’s shoes.