An interesting question was asked by Clark Spencer about which spot Cameron Maybin will man in the order.
Cameron Maybin put on such a spectacular show for the Marlins in September that when April rolls around, there's little doubt he'll be trotted out with the Marlins' Opening Day starters. The fuzzier question is where he'll wind up in the order. Will he bat leadoff, as he did to sensational results when the Marlins called him up at the end of the season? Or will that role remain with Hanley Ramirez?
That question is a fun to play with during the offseason, so let's have at it.
Of course, to do the fun it assumes that Maybin will make the 25-man roster and the starting lineup at the end of spring training, and I think he will.
Seeing how I know of no better tool than David Pinto's Lineup Analysis, and it is far from perfect, but then again, nothing is on the face of this planet. Let's see what it says.
Let's look at the major league numbers alone, which is a joke, considering that a few of the players listed in the lineup will never sustain those numbers over an entire season. But like I said, it is for fun.
The Major League Numbers.
The best guess lineup is:
Maybin
Sanchez
Ramirez
Baker
Cantu
Uggla
Willingham
Ross
Pitcher
(Note: I'm using Nolasco as the default pitcer.)
Now, let's forget the incredibly short season in the majors and skewed numbers of Maybin, Sanchez and Baker and instead plugged in the minor league numbers. And when you do that you still get the same order. Naturally, numbers in the minors do not translate equally to what the player will do in the majors when extended, But given the circumstances, you have to go with something.
Given Maybin's propensity for striking out. (He struck out 124 times in 390 AB in Double-A last season.) Batting him second probably would probably work also. Seeing how striking out isn't that big of a deal for the second hole hitter since it means he isn't going to hit into many double plays. Of course that is assuming the leadoff leader is reaching base with some regularity.
All of that said, I don't think there is anyway Fredi is going to load the front end of the lineup with rookies and have the back end be veteran power guys. It just doesn't make any sense.
Play with the lineup tool, if you would like, substitute Hermida in for whomever, or possibly McPherson and see what you get. But take all results with a grain of salt.
Like I said, it maybe the best tool out there, but it is far from perfect.