How To Choose The Batting Order For Your Baseball Team

How should I choose the batting order for my baseball team?

The way to choose your batting order in a team depends on who's playing at each position. You may have a shortstop, for instance, who's just great defensively. He may not be a great hitter but he's still going to start in your line-up because he's so good defensively. Because of him being in the line-up, he may end up hitting eighth or ninth. Your starting line-up from an offensive point of view will really be based on the nine players you have out there - power and speed all play a role. If you have a powerful guy, he tends to hit somewhere in the middle on the line-up—third, fourth, and fifth—because he tends to drive in runners because he hits the ball further. The beginning in the line up is usually about speed and guys that know how to get on base. They're more selective with the play and they're more disciplined. The latter part of the line up is really a smorgasbord, if you will. It could be a powerful hitter, but maybe he doesn't hit for average very well. It could be a guy that's fast, but maybe he doesn't get on base very well. You're hoping that the latter third of the line up is the part of the line up that's still going to hold it's own, but you're really looking at this in thirds. The first third is about speed and getting on base, and some power. The middle third is a lot of power. The back third is what's left of your line up, whether they're just a defensive specialist or they're maybe just good at only power or only speed.