6A4C4B5E575B4C5A52390 wrote: Bae on base three times, steals a couple bases, and scores twice as Cruz gets him home on a sac fly. Would like to see him batting first.
Why? This is exactly why they had the lineup they did. Cruz should see the most AB's, he's fast and can steal, much better option. Bae for today's game is perfect to help turn over the bottom of the order, he can get on, steal, and with a pitcheresque type batter behind him all the time, it's perfect to stay out of double plays, and then there's Cruz back up.
Worked like a charm today. Why change? If anything needs to change, it's realizing Suwinski just isn't ready for the major leagues. He was horrid during the spring, and it continues.
He'll hit three HR's next game I'm sure after saying this.
Moving Bae to the top of the order gets him one more at bat per game. If he gets on base like the ideal lead-off hitter does, with Cruz hitting behind him, that’s going to result in him scoring many more runs during the season. How many more games might be won as a result?
Official Game Thread - 3/30 - Bucs @ Reds
Moderators: SammyKhalifa, Doc, Bobster
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ChillinStation
- Posts: 424
- Joined: Fri Aug 21, 2020 2:40 pm
Official Game Thread - 3/30 - Bucs @ Reds
We won`t see Bae for 3 or 4 games, now. Castro will get the starts for some reason. 
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JollyRoger
- Posts: 1469
- Joined: Sat Jul 16, 2016 8:31 pm
Official Game Thread - 3/30 - Bucs @ Reds
486E697C75796E78701B0 wrote: Bae on base three times, steals a couple bases, and scores twice as Cruz gets him home on a sac fly. Would like to see him batting first.
Why? This is exactly why they had the lineup they did. Cruz should see the most AB's, he's fast and can steal, much better option. Bae for today's game is perfect to help turn over the bottom of the order, he can get on, steal, and with a pitcheresque type batter behind him all the time, it's perfect to stay out of double plays, and then there's Cruz back up.
Worked like a charm today. Why change? If anything needs to change, it's realizing Suwinski just isn't ready for the major leagues. He was horrid during the spring, and it continues.
He'll hit three HR's next game I'm sure after saying this.
Not very often we can say “Our first place Pirates.
Good win today
I said this in another post. Bae is your perfect lead off hitter.
Besides having blazing speed, he makes contact, can bunt, draws walks and will hit for a high average.
I love Cruz but not at leadoff. Put him at cleanup where his home runs will more likely have men on base and not just a single run lead off homer. Also he strikes out too often. You need a good contact hitter leading off. Bae fits the mold for lead off
Why? This is exactly why they had the lineup they did. Cruz should see the most AB's, he's fast and can steal, much better option. Bae for today's game is perfect to help turn over the bottom of the order, he can get on, steal, and with a pitcheresque type batter behind him all the time, it's perfect to stay out of double plays, and then there's Cruz back up.
Worked like a charm today. Why change? If anything needs to change, it's realizing Suwinski just isn't ready for the major leagues. He was horrid during the spring, and it continues.
He'll hit three HR's next game I'm sure after saying this.
Not very often we can say “Our first place Pirates.
Good win today
I said this in another post. Bae is your perfect lead off hitter.
Besides having blazing speed, he makes contact, can bunt, draws walks and will hit for a high average.
I love Cruz but not at leadoff. Put him at cleanup where his home runs will more likely have men on base and not just a single run lead off homer. Also he strikes out too often. You need a good contact hitter leading off. Bae fits the mold for lead off
Official Game Thread - 3/30 - Bucs @ Reds
6A4C4B5E575B4C5A52390 wrote:
Can you tell just by looking that the bases are bigger? I can't.
I mentioned that in a post, maybe in spring training. If anyone claims they can tell the difference, I'm not taking it at face value.
I can. I don't like it. I really don't like artificially inflating the running game. So many plays are bang/bang at second base. 4.5 inches is quite often the difference between being safe or out. The guy Hedges threw out in the eighth inning I think it was, was definitely safe. I couldn't believe replay didn't overturn it. It's going to be really hard to throw out baserunners now. I just wish they'd leave the game alone.
But to your question...the bases are 44% bigger. I definitely think it's noticeable. In fact, when I tuned in to the WBC, I thought they were using the old 15x15 bases, which surprised me. A quick Google search, and sure enough, they were.
Can you tell just by looking that the bases are bigger? I can't.
I mentioned that in a post, maybe in spring training. If anyone claims they can tell the difference, I'm not taking it at face value.
I can. I don't like it. I really don't like artificially inflating the running game. So many plays are bang/bang at second base. 4.5 inches is quite often the difference between being safe or out. The guy Hedges threw out in the eighth inning I think it was, was definitely safe. I couldn't believe replay didn't overturn it. It's going to be really hard to throw out baserunners now. I just wish they'd leave the game alone.
But to your question...the bases are 44% bigger. I definitely think it's noticeable. In fact, when I tuned in to the WBC, I thought they were using the old 15x15 bases, which surprised me. A quick Google search, and sure enough, they were.
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GreenWeenie
- Posts: 4012
- Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2020 3:47 pm
Official Game Thread - 3/30 - Bucs @ Reds
I have an uneasy feeling that Cruz at 1 was for show as much as anything else. He's MLB's (not just the Pirates) new, shiny toy; someone not seen before and- who knows?- possibly not seen again- such a tall, physically-gifted, exciting, and marketable middle infielder. So, he is the first guy people see to begin the season.
Either that, or some bean counter somehow won an argument.
I'd rather see more consistency at 4, but the bottom line is, I agree that Cruz should drop lower than 1 so his bat can do more damage.
Everybody wants to be seen as some genius. I'm not sure that this is genius. I guess if we go 162-0 with Cruz leading off, someone's a genius and I'm still me.
Either that, or some bean counter somehow won an argument.
I'd rather see more consistency at 4, but the bottom line is, I agree that Cruz should drop lower than 1 so his bat can do more damage.
Everybody wants to be seen as some genius. I'm not sure that this is genius. I guess if we go 162-0 with Cruz leading off, someone's a genius and I'm still me.
Official Game Thread - 3/30 - Bucs @ Reds
7E283E2A253F2F24293E0C2B212D2520622F4C0 wrote: Bae on base three times, steals a couple bases, and scores twice as Cruz gets him home on a sac fly. Would like to see him batting first.
Why? This is exactly why they had the lineup they did. Cruz should see the most AB's, he's fast and can steal, much better option. Bae for today's game is perfect to help turn over the bottom of the order, he can get on, steal, and with a pitcheresque type batter behind him all the time, it's perfect to stay out of double plays, and then there's Cruz back up.
Worked like a charm today. Why change? If anything needs to change, it's realizing Suwinski just isn't ready for the major leagues. He was horrid during the spring, and it continues.
He'll hit three HR's next game I'm sure after saying this.
Moving Bae to the top of the order gets him one more at bat per game. If he gets on base like the ideal lead-off hitter does, with Cruz hitting behind him, that’s going to result in him scoring many more runs during the season. How many more games might be won as a result?
Bae has done absolutely nothing to suggest he will be the ideal leadoff hitter yet. If he does and does so consistently, then yes, I'd love to see him leadoff and Cruz bat second. There is no way you move Cruz any further down. I highly doubt Bryan Reynolds will be on board. He's part of that X factor in all of this.
It's old school way of batter order construction that has been proven over and over again your best hitter should either lead off or hit second. Cruz is the Pirates most complete hitter.
If there was any tooling of today's order, I'd had rather had Swaggerty playing center in Cincy and Suwinski lacing them up in Indy.
Why? This is exactly why they had the lineup they did. Cruz should see the most AB's, he's fast and can steal, much better option. Bae for today's game is perfect to help turn over the bottom of the order, he can get on, steal, and with a pitcheresque type batter behind him all the time, it's perfect to stay out of double plays, and then there's Cruz back up.
Worked like a charm today. Why change? If anything needs to change, it's realizing Suwinski just isn't ready for the major leagues. He was horrid during the spring, and it continues.
He'll hit three HR's next game I'm sure after saying this.
Moving Bae to the top of the order gets him one more at bat per game. If he gets on base like the ideal lead-off hitter does, with Cruz hitting behind him, that’s going to result in him scoring many more runs during the season. How many more games might be won as a result?
Bae has done absolutely nothing to suggest he will be the ideal leadoff hitter yet. If he does and does so consistently, then yes, I'd love to see him leadoff and Cruz bat second. There is no way you move Cruz any further down. I highly doubt Bryan Reynolds will be on board. He's part of that X factor in all of this.
It's old school way of batter order construction that has been proven over and over again your best hitter should either lead off or hit second. Cruz is the Pirates most complete hitter.
If there was any tooling of today's order, I'd had rather had Swaggerty playing center in Cincy and Suwinski lacing them up in Indy.
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GreenWeenie
- Posts: 4012
- Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2020 3:47 pm
Official Game Thread - 3/30 - Bucs @ Reds
You think that Cruz is a more complete hitter than Reynolds? I think Reynolds is the better hitter, though with lower Velocity and such.
I'm not sure what some adjectives in baseball mean- "complete" and "solid" come to mind.
I dont advocate for Reynolds to lead off. I just think that he has fewer hitting holes, so to speak.
I'm not sure what some adjectives in baseball mean- "complete" and "solid" come to mind.
I dont advocate for Reynolds to lead off. I just think that he has fewer hitting holes, so to speak.
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2drfischer@gmail.c
Official Game Thread - 3/30 - Bucs @ Reds
577176636A6671676F040 wrote: Bae on base three times, steals a couple bases, and scores twice as Cruz gets him home on a sac fly. Would like to see him batting first.
Why? This is exactly why they had the lineup they did. Cruz should see the most AB's, he's fast and can steal, much better option. Bae for today's game is perfect to help turn over the bottom of the order, he can get on, steal, and with a pitcheresque type batter behind him all the time, it's perfect to stay out of double plays, and then there's Cruz back up.
Worked like a charm today. Why change? If anything needs to change, it's realizing Suwinski just isn't ready for the major leagues. He was horrid during the spring, and it continues.
He'll hit three HR's next game I'm sure after saying this.
Moving Bae to the top of the order gets him one more at bat per game. If he gets on base like the ideal lead-off hitter does, with Cruz hitting behind him, that’s going to result in him scoring many more runs during the season. How many more games might be won as a result?
Bae has done absolutely nothing to suggest he will be the ideal leadoff hitter yet. If he does and does so consistently, then yes, I'd love to see him leadoff and Cruz bat second. There is no way you move Cruz any further down. I highly doubt Bryan Reynolds will be on board. He's part of that X factor in all of this.
It's old school way of batter order construction [highlight]that has been proven over and over again your best hitter should either lead off or hit second.[/highlight] Cruz is the Pirates most complete hitter.
If there was any tooling of today's order, I'd had rather had Swaggerty playing center in Cincy and Suwinski lacing them up in Indy.
Whether it's "old school" or not, I don't want my best hitter batting first where the number of guys on base is minimized. Best hitters belong in the three (or four) hole, giving them lots of opportunities to drive in runs, assuming two of the team's other top hitters are getting on base ahead of them. I agree that Bae hasn't proven much in his major league career (what first year player has?) but he's the type of hitter on the current roster who makes the most sense to lead off.
My ideal line-up yesterday would've had Bae, Hayes, Reynolds, and Cruz as the first four.
Why? This is exactly why they had the lineup they did. Cruz should see the most AB's, he's fast and can steal, much better option. Bae for today's game is perfect to help turn over the bottom of the order, he can get on, steal, and with a pitcheresque type batter behind him all the time, it's perfect to stay out of double plays, and then there's Cruz back up.
Worked like a charm today. Why change? If anything needs to change, it's realizing Suwinski just isn't ready for the major leagues. He was horrid during the spring, and it continues.
He'll hit three HR's next game I'm sure after saying this.
Moving Bae to the top of the order gets him one more at bat per game. If he gets on base like the ideal lead-off hitter does, with Cruz hitting behind him, that’s going to result in him scoring many more runs during the season. How many more games might be won as a result?
Bae has done absolutely nothing to suggest he will be the ideal leadoff hitter yet. If he does and does so consistently, then yes, I'd love to see him leadoff and Cruz bat second. There is no way you move Cruz any further down. I highly doubt Bryan Reynolds will be on board. He's part of that X factor in all of this.
It's old school way of batter order construction [highlight]that has been proven over and over again your best hitter should either lead off or hit second.[/highlight] Cruz is the Pirates most complete hitter.
If there was any tooling of today's order, I'd had rather had Swaggerty playing center in Cincy and Suwinski lacing them up in Indy.
Whether it's "old school" or not, I don't want my best hitter batting first where the number of guys on base is minimized. Best hitters belong in the three (or four) hole, giving them lots of opportunities to drive in runs, assuming two of the team's other top hitters are getting on base ahead of them. I agree that Bae hasn't proven much in his major league career (what first year player has?) but he's the type of hitter on the current roster who makes the most sense to lead off.
My ideal line-up yesterday would've had Bae, Hayes, Reynolds, and Cruz as the first four.
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Bobster21
Official Game Thread - 3/30 - Bucs @ Reds
3C6A7C68677D6D666B7C4E69636F6762206D0E0 wrote: Bae on base three times, steals a couple bases, and scores twice as Cruz gets him home on a sac fly. Would like to see him batting first.
Why? This is exactly why they had the lineup they did. Cruz should see the most AB's, he's fast and can steal, much better option. Bae for today's game is perfect to help turn over the bottom of the order, he can get on, steal, and with a pitcheresque type batter behind him all the time, it's perfect to stay out of double plays, and then there's Cruz back up.
Worked like a charm today. Why change? If anything needs to change, it's realizing Suwinski just isn't ready for the major leagues. He was horrid during the spring, and it continues.
He'll hit three HR's next game I'm sure after saying this.
Moving Bae to the top of the order gets him one more at bat per game. If he gets on base like the ideal lead-off hitter does, with Cruz hitting behind him, that’s going to result in him scoring many more runs during the season. How many more games might be won as a result?
Bae has done absolutely nothing to suggest he will be the ideal leadoff hitter yet. If he does and does so consistently, then yes, I'd love to see him leadoff and Cruz bat second. There is no way you move Cruz any further down. I highly doubt Bryan Reynolds will be on board. He's part of that X factor in all of this.
It's old school way of batter order construction [highlight]that has been proven over and over again your best hitter should either lead off or hit second.[/highlight] Cruz is the Pirates most complete hitter.
If there was any tooling of today's order, I'd had rather had Swaggerty playing center in Cincy and Suwinski lacing them up in Indy.
Whether it's "old school" or not, I don't want my best hitter batting first where the number of guys on base is minimized. Best hitters belong in the three (or four) hole, giving them lots of opportunities to drive in runs, assuming two of the team's other top hitters are getting on base ahead of them. I agree that Bae hasn't proven much in his major league career (what first year player has?) but he's the type of hitter on the current roster who makes the most sense to lead off.
My ideal line-up yesterday would've had Bae, Hayes, Reynolds, and Cruz as the first four.
I don't believe there is irrefutable evidence that the best hitter should bat 1st or 2nd. But it's a concept that has gained steam over the years. Looking at lineups throughout MLB yesterday, the majority of teams did not do that.
I think a lineup needs to be constructed based on the abilities of all the people in it. For teams with good hitting throughout the lineup, they can afford to put their best first for an additional BA. The best hitter would get on base a lot at the top of the order and power there can provide instant offense. And if people at the bottom of the order are getting on base, those won't necessarily be solo HRs.
OTOH-a slow guy who gets on base at #1 clogs the bases (think Vogelbach). And a team without much power and a weak bottom of the order can't afford to put a good power threat at #1 where HRs will be solo unless weak hitters at the bottom are on base (also think Vogelbach). I see Cruz as the Bucs' top power threat. Maybe 30 HRs. But not a high BA or OBP guy. And even if Bae pumps up the bottom of the order, they still have Suwinski and Hedges to kill rallies before getting back to the top of the order. With Cruz at #1, that's a lot of ABs with 2 outs and/or no one on base.
My lineup with the current roster would be:
Bae (get on base, steal)
Cutch (declining but has maintained decent OBP in recent years)
Cruz (power at #3 following better hitters than Hedges)
Reynolds (BA, OBP, power)
Hayes (they desperately need him to be a consistent offensive threat)
Santana/Choi (need some HRs at #6)
Suwinski (need some HRs when Santana/Choi don't get them)
Hedges (won't kill many rallies behind Santana/Choi and Suwinski)
CSN (Crosby, Stills & Nash can get on base ahead of the top of the order).
Why? This is exactly why they had the lineup they did. Cruz should see the most AB's, he's fast and can steal, much better option. Bae for today's game is perfect to help turn over the bottom of the order, he can get on, steal, and with a pitcheresque type batter behind him all the time, it's perfect to stay out of double plays, and then there's Cruz back up.
Worked like a charm today. Why change? If anything needs to change, it's realizing Suwinski just isn't ready for the major leagues. He was horrid during the spring, and it continues.
He'll hit three HR's next game I'm sure after saying this.
Moving Bae to the top of the order gets him one more at bat per game. If he gets on base like the ideal lead-off hitter does, with Cruz hitting behind him, that’s going to result in him scoring many more runs during the season. How many more games might be won as a result?
Bae has done absolutely nothing to suggest he will be the ideal leadoff hitter yet. If he does and does so consistently, then yes, I'd love to see him leadoff and Cruz bat second. There is no way you move Cruz any further down. I highly doubt Bryan Reynolds will be on board. He's part of that X factor in all of this.
It's old school way of batter order construction [highlight]that has been proven over and over again your best hitter should either lead off or hit second.[/highlight] Cruz is the Pirates most complete hitter.
If there was any tooling of today's order, I'd had rather had Swaggerty playing center in Cincy and Suwinski lacing them up in Indy.
Whether it's "old school" or not, I don't want my best hitter batting first where the number of guys on base is minimized. Best hitters belong in the three (or four) hole, giving them lots of opportunities to drive in runs, assuming two of the team's other top hitters are getting on base ahead of them. I agree that Bae hasn't proven much in his major league career (what first year player has?) but he's the type of hitter on the current roster who makes the most sense to lead off.
My ideal line-up yesterday would've had Bae, Hayes, Reynolds, and Cruz as the first four.
I don't believe there is irrefutable evidence that the best hitter should bat 1st or 2nd. But it's a concept that has gained steam over the years. Looking at lineups throughout MLB yesterday, the majority of teams did not do that.
I think a lineup needs to be constructed based on the abilities of all the people in it. For teams with good hitting throughout the lineup, they can afford to put their best first for an additional BA. The best hitter would get on base a lot at the top of the order and power there can provide instant offense. And if people at the bottom of the order are getting on base, those won't necessarily be solo HRs.
OTOH-a slow guy who gets on base at #1 clogs the bases (think Vogelbach). And a team without much power and a weak bottom of the order can't afford to put a good power threat at #1 where HRs will be solo unless weak hitters at the bottom are on base (also think Vogelbach). I see Cruz as the Bucs' top power threat. Maybe 30 HRs. But not a high BA or OBP guy. And even if Bae pumps up the bottom of the order, they still have Suwinski and Hedges to kill rallies before getting back to the top of the order. With Cruz at #1, that's a lot of ABs with 2 outs and/or no one on base.
My lineup with the current roster would be:
Bae (get on base, steal)
Cutch (declining but has maintained decent OBP in recent years)
Cruz (power at #3 following better hitters than Hedges)
Reynolds (BA, OBP, power)
Hayes (they desperately need him to be a consistent offensive threat)
Santana/Choi (need some HRs at #6)
Suwinski (need some HRs when Santana/Choi don't get them)
Hedges (won't kill many rallies behind Santana/Choi and Suwinski)
CSN (Crosby, Stills & Nash can get on base ahead of the top of the order).
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2drfischer@gmail.c
Official Game Thread - 3/30 - Bucs @ Reds
1B363B2A2D3C2B6B68590 wrote: Bae on base three times, steals a couple bases, and scores twice as Cruz gets him home on a sac fly. Would like to see him batting first.
Why? This is exactly why they had the lineup they did. Cruz should see the most AB's, he's fast and can steal, much better option. Bae for today's game is perfect to help turn over the bottom of the order, he can get on, steal, and with a pitcheresque type batter behind him all the time, it's perfect to stay out of double plays, and then there's Cruz back up.
Worked like a charm today. Why change? If anything needs to change, it's realizing Suwinski just isn't ready for the major leagues. He was horrid during the spring, and it continues.
He'll hit three HR's next game I'm sure after saying this.
Moving Bae to the top of the order gets him one more at bat per game. If he gets on base like the ideal lead-off hitter does, with Cruz hitting behind him, that’s going to result in him scoring many more runs during the season. How many more games might be won as a result?
Bae has done absolutely nothing to suggest he will be the ideal leadoff hitter yet. If he does and does so consistently, then yes, I'd love to see him leadoff and Cruz bat second. There is no way you move Cruz any further down. I highly doubt Bryan Reynolds will be on board. He's part of that X factor in all of this.
It's old school way of batter order construction [highlight]that has been proven over and over again your best hitter should either lead off or hit second.[/highlight] Cruz is the Pirates most complete hitter.
If there was any tooling of today's order, I'd had rather had Swaggerty playing center in Cincy and Suwinski lacing them up in Indy.
Whether it's "old school" or not, I don't want my best hitter batting first where the number of guys on base is minimized. Best hitters belong in the three (or four) hole, giving them lots of opportunities to drive in runs, assuming two of the team's other top hitters are getting on base ahead of them. I agree that Bae hasn't proven much in his major league career (what first year player has?) but he's the type of hitter on the current roster who makes the most sense to lead off.
My ideal line-up yesterday would've had Bae, Hayes, Reynolds, and Cruz as the first four.
I don't believe there is irrefutable evidence that the best hitter should bat 1st or 2nd. But it's a concept that has gained steam over the years. Looking at lineups throughout MLB yesterday, the majority of teams did not do that.
I think a lineup needs to be constructed based on the abilities of all the people in it. For teams with good hitting throughout the lineup, they can afford to put their best first for an additional BA. The best hitter would get on base a lot at the top of the order and power there can provide instant offense. And if people at the bottom of the order are getting on base, those won't necessarily be solo HRs.
OTOH-a slow guy who gets on base at #1 clogs the bases (think Vogelbach). And a team without much power and a weak bottom of the order can't afford to put a good power threat at #1 where HRs will be solo unless weak hitters at the bottom are on base (also think Vogelbach). I see Cruz as the Bucs' top power threat. Maybe 30 HRs. But not a high BA or OBP guy. And even if Bae pumps up the bottom of the order, they still have Suwinski and Hedges to kill rallies before getting back to the top of the order. With Cruz at #1, that's a lot of ABs with 2 outs and/or no one on base.
My lineup with the current roster would be:
Bae (get on base, steal)
Cutch (declining but has maintained decent OBP in recent years)
Cruz (power at #3 following better hitters than Hedges)
Reynolds (BA, OBP, power)
Hayes (they desperately need him to be a consistent offensive threat)
Santana/Choi (need some HRs at #6)
Suwinski (need some HRs when Santana/Choi don't get them)
Hedges (won't kill many rallies behind Santana/Choi and Suwinski)
CSN (Crosby, Stills & Nash can get on base ahead of the top of the order).
I can’t argue about your line-up choices. My reasoning for Hayes hitting second is that, in an an ideal world, Bae being on first would open up a big hole on the right side for Hayes, who hits the ball well the other way. I still believe Reynolds is the team’s best hitter and should bat third, but he needs to start being that guy again.
Why? This is exactly why they had the lineup they did. Cruz should see the most AB's, he's fast and can steal, much better option. Bae for today's game is perfect to help turn over the bottom of the order, he can get on, steal, and with a pitcheresque type batter behind him all the time, it's perfect to stay out of double plays, and then there's Cruz back up.
Worked like a charm today. Why change? If anything needs to change, it's realizing Suwinski just isn't ready for the major leagues. He was horrid during the spring, and it continues.
He'll hit three HR's next game I'm sure after saying this.
Moving Bae to the top of the order gets him one more at bat per game. If he gets on base like the ideal lead-off hitter does, with Cruz hitting behind him, that’s going to result in him scoring many more runs during the season. How many more games might be won as a result?
Bae has done absolutely nothing to suggest he will be the ideal leadoff hitter yet. If he does and does so consistently, then yes, I'd love to see him leadoff and Cruz bat second. There is no way you move Cruz any further down. I highly doubt Bryan Reynolds will be on board. He's part of that X factor in all of this.
It's old school way of batter order construction [highlight]that has been proven over and over again your best hitter should either lead off or hit second.[/highlight] Cruz is the Pirates most complete hitter.
If there was any tooling of today's order, I'd had rather had Swaggerty playing center in Cincy and Suwinski lacing them up in Indy.
Whether it's "old school" or not, I don't want my best hitter batting first where the number of guys on base is minimized. Best hitters belong in the three (or four) hole, giving them lots of opportunities to drive in runs, assuming two of the team's other top hitters are getting on base ahead of them. I agree that Bae hasn't proven much in his major league career (what first year player has?) but he's the type of hitter on the current roster who makes the most sense to lead off.
My ideal line-up yesterday would've had Bae, Hayes, Reynolds, and Cruz as the first four.
I don't believe there is irrefutable evidence that the best hitter should bat 1st or 2nd. But it's a concept that has gained steam over the years. Looking at lineups throughout MLB yesterday, the majority of teams did not do that.
I think a lineup needs to be constructed based on the abilities of all the people in it. For teams with good hitting throughout the lineup, they can afford to put their best first for an additional BA. The best hitter would get on base a lot at the top of the order and power there can provide instant offense. And if people at the bottom of the order are getting on base, those won't necessarily be solo HRs.
OTOH-a slow guy who gets on base at #1 clogs the bases (think Vogelbach). And a team without much power and a weak bottom of the order can't afford to put a good power threat at #1 where HRs will be solo unless weak hitters at the bottom are on base (also think Vogelbach). I see Cruz as the Bucs' top power threat. Maybe 30 HRs. But not a high BA or OBP guy. And even if Bae pumps up the bottom of the order, they still have Suwinski and Hedges to kill rallies before getting back to the top of the order. With Cruz at #1, that's a lot of ABs with 2 outs and/or no one on base.
My lineup with the current roster would be:
Bae (get on base, steal)
Cutch (declining but has maintained decent OBP in recent years)
Cruz (power at #3 following better hitters than Hedges)
Reynolds (BA, OBP, power)
Hayes (they desperately need him to be a consistent offensive threat)
Santana/Choi (need some HRs at #6)
Suwinski (need some HRs when Santana/Choi don't get them)
Hedges (won't kill many rallies behind Santana/Choi and Suwinski)
CSN (Crosby, Stills & Nash can get on base ahead of the top of the order).
I can’t argue about your line-up choices. My reasoning for Hayes hitting second is that, in an an ideal world, Bae being on first would open up a big hole on the right side for Hayes, who hits the ball well the other way. I still believe Reynolds is the team’s best hitter and should bat third, but he needs to start being that guy again.