Skipper Hinch talks batting practice — a little early
LAKELAND, FLA. >> The season-opener against the White Sox is two weeks from Thursday. Is it too soon to start talking batting lineups with manager AJ Hinch?
Heck no. He’s been thinking about the various lineup configurations for weeks.
“Every day,” he said. “I’m obsessed with our team, obsessed with trying to be perfect. Every day I’ve thought about different configurations against right-handed pitchers, different configurations against left-handed pitchers, different configurations against left-handers who don’t get left-handers out.”
He’s not joking. He’s planning on starting a lineup with a couple of left-handed hitters today against Braves lefty Dylan Dodd to see how that might work in season.
“I do it (work on the lineups) every night before I go to sleep,” Hinch said. “It’s the last thing I do, I work on some idea I have and how it’s going to work.”
The Tigers, like they did last season, are going to mix and match lineups to exploit every possible matchup advantage. Maybe Parker Meadows will bat leadoff against right-handed starters and ninth if he starts against a lefty. Certainly, against right-handed pitcher, some combination of Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter will bat in the middle of the order.
But not much else is or will be set in stone. Remember, Hinch is playing three-dimensional chess here. His isn’t constructing a lineup for only the opposing team’s starter.
“The lineup we put out there is the one we feel has the best chance to beat not only the starter but the configuration of that team’s bullpen, too,” he said. “It’s not tinkering just to tinker. It’s trying to put the best combination in there against each guy.
“So whether Riley is hitting first, second or third, whether Tork hits second, third or fourth, does Meadows lead off or does he not, where does Andy Ibanez fit against lefties, where does Javy (Báez) fit — it’s not an exercise in trying to keep you guessing. It’s a competitive process to put our best lineup out there.”
Against Yankees’ righthander Marcus Stroman, Hinch’s top six hitters were Meadows, Greene, Torkelson, Carpenter, Mark Canha and Colt Keith. He also started left-handed hitting Zach McKinstry at third and put him in the No. 8 spot.