Where should Jackson and Berry be in our lineup?

**mickeyb105** · 06-30-2012, 11:53 PM

How would Berry be in the leadoff spot moving forward?

Does Jackson need to hit behind him, somewhere, to take advantage of both Berry's base stealing ability and Jackson's improved slugging?

Neither player is an ideal leadoff man, of course, but they are the closest thing we have right now. Does Dirks go back to the 2nd hole when/if he returns? Will we make a deal for a top of the order guy?

What would you guys do for the rest of the season about where to bat JacksonBerry?

**Yoda** · 07-01-2012, 12:03 AM

I actually love both right where they're at. The top of the lineup has been an enormous surprise this year. First with Dirks at #2, now with Berry.

As for what happens when Dirks comes back, so long Boesch. Put Dirks in the 5th spot and do whatever the hell you want with Young (DFA, feed him to the jews, whatever). I like the idea of opening up the DH spot again for guys like Cabrera and Fielder, and whoever else might need a break defensively (Avila!!). It would give Kelly more AB's, unfortunately, but it would improve the defense.

**Yoda** · 07-01-2012, 12:09 AM

So who here though Jackson would have a higher OPS than Cabrera and Fielder at the halfway point?

**holygoat** · 07-01-2012, 12:13 AM

Originally Posted by Yoda

So who here though Jackson would have a higher OPS than Cabrera and Fielder at the halfway point?

Oh, I totally did.

**mickeyb105** · 07-01-2012, 12:36 AM

Originally Posted by Yoda

I actually love both right where they're at. The top of the lineup has been an enormous surprise this year. First with Dirks at #2, now with Berry.

As for what happens when Dirks comes back, so long Boesch. Put Dirks in the 5th spot and do whatever the hell you want with Young (DFA, feed him to the jews, whatever). I like the idea of opening up the DH spot again for guys like Cabrera and Fielder, and whoever else might need a break defensively (Avila!!). It would give Kelly more AB's, unfortunately, but it would improve the defense.

Dirks sure was running good in that #2 spot earlier this year, that's for sure. Sliding him down to #5 seems like the thing to do when he returns. Who thought that would happen coming out of Spring Training?

As (semi) tempting as it is to move Berry to leadoff and move AJax down in the order, it is nice to have Berry in the #2 hole because he can lay down a proper bunt and burn down the line. Not to mention he is getting on base at a .390 clip. The Berry bubble may burst at some point this year, but he's not leaving the lineup without a fight.

I would love to see Avila get a few games off, and see Holiday come back up for a bit. Do they dare move Brantly up after only a 21 games in Toledo? Probably not. Whatever the case, we can afford to (maybe) send Boesch down, and avoid putting Avila back on the DL. Laird did not look sharp behind the plate on Thursday, and Avila hasn't been himself for some time back there.

At least we have better options than just Santos this season.

**Eric Cioe** · 07-01-2012, 01:43 AM

Berry
Jackson
Fielder
Cabrera
Dirks
Peralta
Avila
Raburn
Santiago

**1776** · 07-01-2012, 08:21 AM

Originally Posted by Eric Cioe

Berry
Jackson
Fielder
Cabrera
Dirks
Peralta
Avila
Raburn
Santiago

Agreed. I'm fine with the way things are at the top but I did vote to flip flop Jackson and Berry just so the speed would lead off. Berry was successful at Toledo this year in the lead-off spot. I think he could handle it. I don't have any reason to believe Jackson couldn't be successful in the #2 spot. Dirks' return should make things really interesting.

**sabretooth** · 07-01-2012, 09:12 AM

Berry's performance level in June may be instructive....I believe he may have been "heavy" BABIP-wise by about 2 singles, but otherwise was not particularly lucky...more importantly his BB/K ratio in June was 9/20, which is pretty "normal" for him from his minor-league years.

Back off two BABIP singles and Berry's June slash would be roughly: 270/340/400/740. This seems fairly sustainable for him, although I realize that historically he's nominally more in the mid-600's OPS-wise.

Along with speed and defense, Berry is clearly our best option in LF (even if Boesch and Raburn both start hitting, in which case I would say DH Boesch and have Raburn in RF). I really like having two guys ahead of our boppers who can wheel, especially if they're both getting on base above a .340 clip.

Stick with it.

**Casimir** · 07-01-2012, 10:41 AM

Jackson, 8
Berry, 7
Cabrera, 5
Fielder, 3
Dirks, 9
Peralta, 6
Avila, 2
Designated Hitter
Santiago/Worth, 4

Hopefully Dirks is back quickly and at his earlier season pace.

I don't think that Boesch or Raburn will be moved out of the organization this season. I think that the Tigers are convinced that both have a hot streak in them at some point. Maybe so, maybe not, both are probably proven to be more streaky than consistant, so who knows? It'd be nice if either could get it together quickly as I just don't know if Berry can keep his run going, but he combines with Jackson and Dirks for the best possible defensive alignment and has a much better defensive skill set for home games in LF than the other options.

**Truth** · 07-01-2012, 11:30 AM

IF Berry can keep it going I would like to see him flip spots with Jackson. His speed is a concern for any pitcher and would probably give Jackson an advantage in terms of pitches he would see. But that's a huge IF so I probably wouldn't mess with it now and as already said, I like Berry's ability to bunt along with speed to stay out of DPs.

**tiger337** · 07-01-2012, 11:59 AM

Jackson and Berry are two players performing way beyond what was expected. I wouldn't mess with them for now. I'd leave them where they are for the rest of the year or until Berry stops hitting.

**ToledoTigerFan** · 07-01-2012, 01:09 PM

Berry's performance is so unexpected, I don't care where he bats. Just put him somewhere in the line-up and ride him until he stops playing well. If he keeps playing well, even better.