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February 15, 2006


SI.com - Verducci: Jeter, not Damon, should bat first in Yankees' lineup
by SG

Slice it any way you want, but Derek Jeter is a better leadoff batter than Damon. The problem with the 2005 Yankees wasn't the top man in the batting order -- they led all of baseball with a .379 OBP in the leadoff spot; Damon's Red Sox were sixth at .363 -- it was that GM Brian Cashman foisted Tony Womack on manager Joe Torre, who was foolish enough to give Womack 146 plate appearances in the two hole. Womack returned a .529 OPS in that slot, ranking 73rd among the 74 players with 100 plate appearances hitting second. (Ruben Gotay of Kansas City was, insult of insults, worse than Womack.)


Interesting article by Tom Verducci. It will never happen, but I'd love to see the Yankees not get pressured into batting Damon leadoff just because of his reputation.

My ideal lineup would be:

Jeter
Rodriguez
Giambi
Sheffield
Matsui
Posada
Cano
Phillips/Bernie
Damon

Then, the Yankees could satisfy Michael Kay's desire to have a "Circular Lineup" and "Two Leadoff Hitters."