Should Andres Gimenez Get Moved Up In The Guardians Lineup?
I've noticed the number of fans who are calling for Andres Gimenez to get moved up in the Guardians' batting order. Of course, on the surface, it seems like an obvious decision. Gimenez is batting .297 slugging .475 and has 40 RBI this season. However, it may be a little more complicated than just that.
Gimenez Is A Lefty, And So Is Kwan
If Gimenez were to get moved up in the order, the logical decision would be second. Jose Ramirez is not moving out of third, and Franmil Reyes and Josh Naylor have the power bats the team wants at fourth and fifth.
Steven Kwan has been incredible as a lefthanded, leadoff hitter. But, Gimenez is also a lefty. Why is this a big deal?
A team that has their first and second batters as lefties are giving the opposing pitching staffs and managers a huge advantage, especially later in games when the bullpen is being utilized. This could create plenty of bad matchups for both Kwan and Gimenez.
Gimenez batting second would absolutely be fine if Kwan wasn't leading off. But with how well Kwan has looked in that position, it's hard to see him getting moved out of it.
Runners Need To Be On Base To Hit Them In
One of Gimenez's calling cards this season is his ability to hit with runners in scoring position. He's been fabulous! In this situation, he is batting .377, slugging .768, and has an OPS of 1.206. He also has 37 RBI.
But, if he were to get moved up in the lineup, he won't have as many of these opportunities. Think about it, in order to hit with RISP, you have to have RISP. Right now the four players hitting in front of him are a combination of Naylor, Reyes, Ramirez, and Rosario. These are all players who have historically gotten on base at a pretty good rate.
If he were to bat higher up in the order such as second, the player who could be in front of him is Kwan, then when the lineup turns over, a combination of Myles Straw, Austin Hedges / Luke Maile, Owen Miller, and possibly Nolan Jones. These players haven't gotten on base as much this season, or in Jones' case, still a bit too early to tell.
Six And Seven-Hole Sweet Spot
Gimenez has actually moved around in the order quite a bit. This season he's made appearances batting second, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth. However, he has easily been the most successful batting in the sixth or seventh position.
Gimenez is slashing .313/.398/.463 when batting sixth and is slashing .318/.357/.523 when batting seventh. He also has a combination of seven home runs and 33 RBI in this slot too.
Clearly, Gimenez is comfortable in the order where he is. Confidence is key, especially with younger players. Own Miller started off the year red hot but hasn't looked the same since he moved into the cleanup role, and then moved out of it. I would hate for the same thing to happen to Gimenez too. Is it really worth the risk of moving him up a few more spots?
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