Apparently Jeremy Hermida will finish the season batting third.
"I think it works," Gonzalez said. "He's responded there."
Hermida has responded wherever he has hit in the order lately. Since Aug. 18, he is 26 for 70 (.371) with 12 extra-base hits (four homers) and 12 RBI.
How aggressive has the usually selective Hermida been? He has gone 71 plate appearances without a walk.
For the season he is hitting .269 in the three hole with a .642 OPS. The three RBI and two doubles matches up, so I guess they have all come recently.
Which reinforces the point that he is hitting better of late and having him bat third isn't a bad idea, but it is going to take some getting used to for Jeremy. So some highs and lows can be expected but he needs to remember that taking a walk in front of Cabrera ain't that bad of a thing. Also having lefty in the top of the order could be a good thing.
Just in case you are wondering, his best stats this season have come when he bats in the sixth through ninth spots in the order. But that is probably his established comfort zone this year since that is where most of his at bats have occurred.