Ladies and Gentlemen, Your Top of the Order

I'm gonna be aptomistic about Pierre but man his track record of getting cought stealing & his inability to take a walk really make me suspect.

BK:

I agree that based on what we know about these two guys right now it should be Furcal then Pierre.

In reality Furcal would seem to strike out waaaay to much for either spot but he is OK leading off. In the 2-spot his lack of any contact with the ball on a pretty frequent basis would see to actually reduce options. Last he just does not seem like he is the sort of guy who is willing to hit behind a runner or lay down a bunt. Too much ego to give himself up 2-4 times/game.

Pierre in on the other hand does seem like more of a lead off guy who makes lots of contact. But given his better ability to make contact it should open possibilities when he bats second.

I see lots of 1st & 3rd this season with they guy at 1st having the ability to steal 2nd as needed.

Something else is I think Nomahhhh will be a good hit & run guy too...his excellent bat control should really make things exciting. It's a shame he can hardly walk to first anymore let alone run w/o losing body parts along the way. But most of the parts seem to be spares or not needed to keep going...

BTW, I am intrigued by the signing of Mays...I like the Dodgers are going ahead and taking those flyer's on some of these guys with lots of experience. It makes me think that soon we will see a Hendrickson, Tomko, etc go in a trade.

I agree with the hit and run idea, but having Furcal in the 2 spot gives you a guy with quite a bit more power than Pierre, that could produce more runs. I would worry about a slap hitter like Pierre causing alot of fielder choice outs, the double play shouldnt be a problem with that much speed though. Its ok, we only have to deal with him for 5 years, not like its a long contract.

Everybody keeps making a big deal about how much JP gets caught stealing. His stolen base percentage was .4% HIGHER than Furcal's last year. Yeah, 20 times caught looks bad, but he's actually a better base stealer by the numbers than Furcal.

That said, however, I think Furcal should bat leadoff. Not because of his OBP or his AVG but because of JP's natural tendencies. Pierre is probably the best bunter in the league right now, right? So, if Raffy gets on base we have a definite threat. Even if the infield plays him WAY in for a sac bunt, JP's so fast he stands a solid chance of making first base. Plus he slaps a lot of singles through gaps, which also enables Furcal to run. I think that would be the deadliest combo. However, as I have stated in previous posts, if you look at JP's OBP when he actually had a GOOD lineup behind him he runs about 30-40 points higher than he did last year or '05 with the Marlins. '01 with the Rox and '03/'04 Marlins he actually had a good OBP. I think he just tries to push himself too much when the rest of the team isn't performing. If I'm right and he can get his OBP up around .360-.380, then I put Furcal 2nd behind JP leading off. Furcal's power and doubles ability gives gives the team more chances to score runs, not just advance runners.

I know that somebody's gonna disagree and call me insane, so just get it over with.

Little could always move them around (but not make it a habit...) depending on how they are playing. I'm sure they'll find something that will be comfortable. There are pros and cons for each to lead off.
I guess the Dodgers can't lose signing Joe Mays. The guy has nowhere to go but up at this point.

I agree with Furcal and Pierre being 1,2 in the line up . Since Pierre is a slap hitter, I don't see him hitting into too many DP's, at least not the line drive type. The real question is whether Gonzo is up to protecting Kent in the line up, and if Kent is able to find his 2005 stroke, or if age has finally caught up with him.

Kent is going to crush.

i am guaranteeing 25 HR's and 110 RBI...

I am a Dodger fan, living in South Florida. and agree with the positive posting about Pierre. I watched him for all those years with the Marlins. When the Marlins had a solid lineup behind him he was a .300 hitter, never struck out-always made contact, got 200+ hits per year. He is a hard worker who plays 160 games per year. He is out early at the ballpark and is always studying. Before every game he is out rolling balls down the baselines to see how bunts will react. Young players can learn a lot from him. He doesn't walk much so I think he would be better as a number two hitter. They could hit and run on EVERY pitch without worry. This could cause a lot of chaos and lead to many first and second or first and third situations. His other weakness is he has a weak throwing arm. If he doesn't press, I think he will be a fan favorite.
David from Fort Lauderdale

I agree with Furcal hitting first. His second half numbers in 2006 (an almost .400 obp, .330 plus average with 11 HRs) were Rickey Henderson-like. I'm not expecting that type of production all year long, but Furcal gives the Dodgers a great top of the order guy. If Pierre can get the job done as well, Nomar, Kent and Gonzo will be driving in lots of runs.

Thanks for the positive thoughts about Pierre, David. I have been so happy with that pickup and it bothers me to hear everyone lament about we are paying him SO MUCH MONEY, and FIVE YEARS! But, i love the pickup, and pretty much for all the reasons you've listed....

I need to become a Sabermatric guy to keep up with some of you show offs!!

Bluebleeder,

You're in luck!! I have recently heard that Paul Depodesta holds weekly Sabermetric seminars every Friday at 8pm! The classes are held at the Yum-yum doughnuts store in El Cajon, CA on the corner of Madison and University avenues. Free pocket protectors & decoder rings are given to all first time students, and you can find out more about the Sabermetrics classes by visiting Paul Depodesta's website:

http://www.HugeManCrushOnHeeSopChoi.com

that was neat to hear from someone that actually watched J.P on a daily basis. I never warmed up to the idea of furcal batting third making him someone that he is not. Have speed on the bases is a big distraction for the pitcher, it really does take some focus off the hitter so im excited to see some rabbits on the loose!!!!

ddb:

You crack me up!! Seriously it's great to see some of the "gang" from last season start to trickle back in and all the newer Id's too...

David in Fla:

...thanks for the insight into Pierre. Since they signed him I have been liking the possibilities both long term and short term. I like the longer term because it makes the Dodgers less dependent on what Furcal decides to do when his contract expires. The Dodgers really never recovered from losing Sax way back when. And top of the order guys don't seem to be easy to find these days.

Also Furcal can rest more often during the season since Pierre can move to leadoff for a game or two here and there with no drop off in ability to get on base.

Ahhhhhh.

I cannot wait for spring training to start. I need help. March Madness cannot come any sooner.

What ever happened to Driefort? Anyone know?

WEs

Personally, I'd like to see Furcal, then Pierre. Furcal is a much more versatile offensive threat, and I have a feeling that his free swinging approach benefitted a lot from Lofton's leadoff-type ability hitting behind him last year. Pierre is an upgrade over Lofton, so I see no reason to change a successful formula.

What does need to change, though, is Grady Little's gameplan. His approach last year was to automatically green light Furcal and Lofton, but with minimal situational playcalling. This lineup of speed and contact hitting calls for lots of activity on the basepaths to create run scoring opportunities. Little didn't do enough last year, so let's hope he changes his approach for '07.

I really like this Dodger lineup. As someone who is tired of stand-around home run baseball, I see the lack of a monster homerun hitter as a plus to fans who want to see the kind of sustained drama that comes with runs being scored via multiple hits rather than solo homeruns. Bring it on!

Wes

My father and I both agree that a deal went down between the Devil and the Dodgers in 1988. Though he believes Gibson sold his soul for that historic moment, I say it was Lasorta. If anyone is going to give up eternity for a blue championship it's gonna be Tommy.

But that homerun cost the Dodgers even more than two souls, it cost them twenty years of blindly chasing others like it, resulting in one bad contract after another. Let this team built on hit and run speed and clutch hitting exercize our deamons for good!

Wes