This article is about baseball. For other meanings, see batting order.

The batting order in baseball is the sequence in which the nine members of the offensive lineup take their turns in batting against the pitcher. The batting order is set by the manager before the game begins (although substitutions may subsequently take place). If a team bats out of order, it is a violation of baseball's rules and subject to penalty. The batting order, in baseball, is the sequence in which the nine members of the offensive lineup take their turns in batting against the pitcher. ... A view of the playing field at Busch Memorial Stadium, St. ... Barry Bonds batting Photo:Agência Brasil In baseball, batting is the act of facing the opposing pitcher and trying to produce offense for ones team. ... mcv ... New York Yankees manager Joe Torre returning to the dugout (September 2005). ... A view of the playing field at Busch Memorial Stadium, St. ... In baseball, a sequence of nine players bat in order, taking turns in an attempt to become a runner and reach base or to help preceding runners to score. ...

In modern American baseball, some batting positions have nicknames: "leadoff" for first, "cleanup" for fourth, and "last" for ninth. Others are known only by the ordinal numbers. That is probably because batting positions are barely specialized. Particular players are used in different batting positions, both from game to game and throughout their careers, much more than they are used in different fielding positions. If a fan or writer knows the primary fielding positions of dozens of historical players and all regular players on several active teams, that same person probably knows the primary batting positions of merely several historical players and all regular players on only one active team (the current batting order of the nearest major league team). A view of the playing field at Busch Memorial Stadium, St. ...

Positions in the lineup

The first player in the batting order is known as the leadoff hitter. Generally the leadoff batter is the fastest baserunner on the team; because he bats more often than anyone else in the lineup, and in order to have baserunners when the later hitters with more power come to bat, his need for a high on base percentage exceeds that of the other lineup spots. It is also considered disadvantageous to have a faster player behind a slower if they are on consecutive bases, particularily first and second base. Once on base, his main goal is to advance around the bases as quickly as possible and then to score. Because leadoff hitters are selected primarily for their ability to reach base and for their speed, they are not typically power hitters. Another important role for the leadoff man is to reveal the pitcher's ability and to "wear him out" by forcing him to throw as many pitches as possible. In baseball, a leadoff hitter is a batter who bats first in the lineup. ... In baseball, baserunning is the act of running around the bases performed by members of the team at bat. ... In baseball statistics, on base percentage (OBP) (sometimes referred to as on base average (OBA)) is a measure of how often a batter gets to first base for any reason other than a fielding error or a fielders choice. ... In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances safely around all three bases and returns safely to home plate. ...

The second batter, most often just referred to as in the two-hole, is usually a contact hitter with the ability to bunt or get a hit, although the art of bunting is becoming increasingly rare nowadays. His main goal is to move the leadoff man into scoring position. Often, these hitters are fairly quick and tend to avoid grounding into double plays. In baseball, the term contact hitter is used to describe a hitter who does not strike out often. ... Ichiro Suzuki lays down a bunt. ... In baseball statistics, Grounded into double play (GDIP) is a measure of the number of ground balls hit that became double plays. ...

The third batter, in the three-hole, is generally the best all-around hitter on the team, often hitting for a high batting average but not necessarily very fast. Part of his job is to help set the table for the cleanup hitter, and part of it is to help drive in baserunners himself. Third-place hitters are best known for "keeping the inning alive." However in recent years, many managers have tended to put their best slugger in this position. Babe Ruth usually batted third in the lineup during his career; recent examples are Lance Berkman, David Ortiz, Barry Bonds, Todd Helton and Albert Pujols. Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball measuring the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters, respectively. ... For the eponymous band, see Babe Ruth (band). ... William Lance Berkman (born February 10, 1976 in Waco, Texas) is a Major League Baseball player for the Houston Astros. ... David Ortiz (IPA , or roughly or-TEES, according to Latin American pronunciation) (born November 18, 1975 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, as David Américo Ortiz Arias), is a Major League Baseball designated hitter who plays for the Boston Red Sox (since 2003). ... Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964 in Riverside, California) is a Major League left fielder for the San Francisco Giants. ... Todd Lynn Helton (born August 20, 1973 in Knoxville, Tennessee) is a Major League Baseball first baseman who has played for the Colorado Rockies since the 1997 season. ... José Alberto Pujols (Pronounced by himself and the media as POO-holes, IPA: //, although the proper pronunciation would be IPA: //, as it is a Catalan name) (born January 16, 1980 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball player with the St. ...

Recent research suggests, however, that it is conterproductive to bat the team's best hitter third, especially if the one and two hitters have lower on base percentages. This is because if both the one and two batters make outs in the first inning, the three hitter will be up with none on and two out, which not the ideal situation for a team to score runs in. In baseball statistics, on base percentage (OBP) (sometimes referred to as on base average (OBA)) is a measure of how often a batter gets to first base for any reason other than a fielding error or a fielders choice. ...

The fourth player in the batting order is known as the cleanup hitter, and is almost always one of the best hitters on the team; often the one with the most power. Baseball managers tend to place hitters who are most likely to reach base ahead of the clean-up man, so that the fourth batter can "clean" the bases by driving these baserunners home to score runs. His main goal is to drive in runs, although he is expected to score runs as well. In fact, the fourth spot in the order has the luxury of being somewhat "protected" from bad situations early in the game: the batter only rarely faces a spot with two outs and no baserunners in the first time through the order – possible if, for example, one of the first three batters hits a home run and the other two make outs. If nobody gets on base, the cleanup hitter will have a chance to start a rally in the second inning by being the first batter, with zero outs. However, hitting cleanup also requires an exceptional level of talent, and the ability to deliver big hits in important situations (bases loaded, 2 out). In baseball the fourth man in the batting order is designated the clean-up hitter. ... Mark McGwire swinging for the fences. ...

The fifth and sixth (and sometimes seventh) batters have traditionally been RBI men, with the main goal of driving runners home, especially with sacrifice flies. Modern sabermetric baseball theory suggests that even these batters should have high on-base percentages, though this approach has not been universally adopted. The fifth batter is usually a team's second-best power hitter, and his purpose is often to "protect" the clean-up hitter in the batting order; he is expected to pose enough of a threat to opposing teams that they will refrain from intentionally walking the clean-up hitter in potential scoring situations. In baseball statistics, a run batted in (RBI) is given to a batter for each run scored as the result of a batters plate appearance. ... In baseball, a batted ball is considered a sacrifice fly (denoted by SF) if the following four criteria are met: There are fewer than two outs. ... Sabermetrics is the analysis of baseball through objective evidence, especially baseball statistics. ... In baseball statistics, an intentional base on balls (denoted by IBB), often called an intentional walk, is used in baseball to count the number of times a walk was issued with no intent of ever allowing a hit. ...

The seventh and eighth batters are often not as powerful as the earlier batters, and do not have as high a batting average. They are still expected to produce, but they have less pressure in those spots. The main pressure on the eighth hitter comes when there are two outs: in this case, he must battle the pitcher to get on base so that the ninth hitter can come up. That way, even if the ninth hitter gets out, the top of the order will come up next. The eighth batter is often a good contact hitter, and can be used as a back-up #2 hitter. In leagues without designated hitters (DHs), the catcher will often bat eighth, as they are often employed for their defensive skills and handling of the pitching staff, and tend to have a relatively low batting average. However, this is by no means always the case. David Ortiz standing in the batters box as a designated hitter in a 2006 game. ... The position of the catcher Catcher is also a general term for a fielder who catches the ball in cricket. ...

The ninth batter is considered as another leading hitter, not necessarily as the weakest hitter on the team in recent years although many tend to think that way. Nine-hitters tend to be fast, but not to have as good batting or on-base average as the leadoff hitter. However, when the league doesn't allow DHs, the ninth batter is usually the pitcher. If there is someone on first or second base with fewer than two outs when the ninth hitter is up, he will almost always bunt. However, a notable alternative exists to this, in which the pitcher or weakest hitter actually bats in the 8th slot, and another player with decent OBP and speed bats in the 9th slot, thus creating a kind of second leadoff hitter, at the bottom of the lineup, that loops to the top of the order afterwards. This has been used sparingly in the major leagues, but was notably employed by St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa in the second half of the 1998 baseball season. Ichiro Suzuki lays down a bunt. ... Major league affiliations National League (1892–present) Central Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 2, 6, 9, 14, 17, 20, 42, 45, 85 Name St. ... Tony La Russa after the 2006 World Series Anthony La Russa, Jr. ...

Batting position skills

Batting skills are not strictly one-dimensional and batting merely shares with baserunning the responsibility for scoring in baseball. Multi-dimensional differences among players in batting and baserunning skills underly some specialization by batting position, as a secondary factor behind the sheer greater number of appearances for lower-number batters.

External link

• "Elements of the Game: The Batting Order"