How do you place players in the batting order in baseball?

In: Baseball
Answer:

Batting Order

1 - The leadoff hitter is a player who can get on base. Preferably with speed so they can steal second to be driven in by the power-hitters coming up.
2 - Must be a good contact hitter. Too much power from the number two hitter is rare.
3 - A combination of contact/power. Generally the best all-around hitter. A player who can hit a fair amount of home runs with a good .300 batting average.
4 (Clean up) - The most powerful hitter, who can really drive the ball for a good amount of homers/doubles.
5 - Should possess decent power. Not as much as #4, but should be able to get the job done if the clean up hitter can't.
6 - The last line of defense before the weaker #7 and #8 batters get up.
7, 8 - Generally the weakest hitters on the team.
9 - One of the most important hitters in the line up. Generally, these guys are the second fastest on the team and can hit well. Not exactly home runs, but decent base hits. This way, if they can get on, then you have the top of the line up to drive him in. However, in a league that does not use a designated hitter, such as the National League, the pitcher will hit in this position, as he is usually the worst hitter on the team (as he will only play once every five games and focuses on pitching.) The pitcher will usually bunt

** It should be noted that this is all a matter of opinion and personal strategy from the manager. Anyone who has ever seen a Tony LaRussa lineup card could attest to this. The above is a "reference point" for someone to start with. I dont exactly agree with what was said about the #9 batter (but like i said before it is all personal preference)
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Contributor: Jameson5555
First answer by 3.14159265358979. Last edit by Jack1014. Contributor trust: 1 [recommend contributor recommended]. Question popularity: 340 [recommend question].
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