Strategic planning
Mets get creative with hitters’ alignment
W ASHINGTON— Sandy Alderson didn’t make the lineup. He did make a joke. “Hey Terry,’’ Alderson said Wednesday while handing Terry Collins a lineup card in the visiting manager’s office at Nationals Park, “here’s your lineup for tomorrow.’’
That drew laughs from the media. Alderson wanted to have fun with the perception he is behind theway Collins makes his lineup.
Here’s how the Mets came up with their unique lineup.
It all started with a conversation at a Port St. Lucie bowling alley on Feb. 18 between Collins and bench coach Bob Geren. Geren was the one who suggested Curtis Granderson bat leadoff and David Wright hit second.
Why? Get the hitters you want to come to the plate the most at the top of the lineup. While some people may think Alderson is behind the lineup, he made it clear the lineup is the manager’s responsibility.
“Our job is to provide information and the managers and coaches decide,’’ Alderson said. “I think people were surprised by the lineup. People don’t like surprises, whether it’s the media or the fans or other people in baseball who have everything figured out. So when there is a surprise like that people are scrambling around for some sort of rationale or explanation. “Sometimes it gets a little crazy.” Sometimes? “Mostly,’’ Alderson added with a smile. “Around here anyway.’’
Like in the opener, a 31 win over Max Scherzer, Granderson batted leadoff Wednesday night, Wright second, Lucas Duda third, Michael Cuddyer fourth and Daniel Murphy fifth.
Juan Lagares, who hit leadoff much of spring training, batted sixth with Travis d’Arnaud seventh, pitcher Jacob deGrom eighth and Wilmer Flores in the ninth spot against Jordan Zimmermann.
Collins went with Granderson first and Wright second on Opening Day and it paid off with a win. He thought about Geren’s suggestion, tried it a couple times in spring training and came away with the conclusion that this was the way to go.
Lagares, Collins said, is not ready to be a leadoff hitter because he needs a bit more patience. Granderson worked two walks on Opening Day. He scored the tying run and Wright scored the goahead run, both came around on Duda’s single. Lagares scored the third run. And, oh yes, the lineup card that Alderson handed to Collins, that was filled with names of the 1959 White Sox, a team that an 11yearold Sandy Alderson followed.
Sure, the Mets would like to have a more traditional type leadoff hitter and maybe Lagares can grow into a leadoff hitter, but this is what they have.
“Years ago the best hitter on the team hit third, but the guy who comes up most with two outs and no one on is the threehitter,’’ Collins said. “We’re very lucky that our star player [ Wright] doesn’t care where he hits.’’
Times have changed. There are moveable parts.
And there is that perception by some that Alderson makes out the lineup.
“The one thing the manager has in his power is this,’’ Collins said, waving the lineup card. “He’s got one hammer and that’s who plays. I’m very, very lucky to have that hammer.’’
Asked if Alderson had ever told him who to player, Collins said flatly, “Absolutely not.”
“You have to be a little inventive today in the game,’’ Collins said. “I’m lucky, my coaches are very thoughtful and research a lot of things. In the perfect world if we had the leadoff hitter that got on 40 percent off the time, we’d let the pitcher hit ninth. We don’t have that. We have to mix and match do what we think is best for the team.’’
Collins would live with Lagares at leadoff if he had a .370 on base percentage.
If they had that leadoff hitter, all of a sudden the lineup would be lengthened.
“We’d have Granderson hitting two and Wright three and have Dan Murphy hitting sixth. ... Ohmy God, that’s a pretty good lineup,” Collins said. “We don’t have that right now.’’
This is what the Mets have and Collins makes the lineup.