Just Mets

At various times during Terry Collins tenure with the Mets, he and his staff toyed with the idea of batting the pitcher eighth. The belief is if there is a more competent hitter in the ninth spot in the order, the chances of that hitter getting on-base are higher which would translate into more run scoring opportunities for the top of the order.

In certain cases, the idea isn’t terribly ludicrous. Jacob deGrom – who hit in the eighth spot of the lineup in five of his 22 starts last year – is a very competent hitting pitcher, as he was a shortstop in college which afforded him plenty of higher-level exposure at the plate. He went 2-for-12 when hitting eighth last year, and hit .217 overall. Assuming he can be close to what he was at the plate last year, the lineup is certainly more complete Than most days top-to-bottom, whether he hits eighth or ninth in the order.

Since the Mets have quality hitting pitchers in deGrom and Jon Niese, they are once again considering batting the pitcher eighth, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Mets would then install Juan Lagares in the ninth spot of the order, which be turned over to Curtis Granderson, David Wright and Lucas Duda at the top.

“It is something we are thinking about,” Collins said.

Certainly in the case of someone like Bartolo Colon, there’s probably no tactical advantage gained by bumping him up in the lineup since he’s one of the most ineffective hitting pitchers – or hitters in general – in the league. The point is, it’s not something the Mets can do everyday, and a lot could depend on how well the pitchers are hitting early in the year.