Let's give our catcher some love!

[Nottso]

It's definitely "Luke." I'm kinda with RR on him hitting 8th. If it ain't broke, don't fix it... and it definitely ain't broke.

[topper09er]

It's definitely "Luke." I'm kinda with RR on him hitting 8th. If it ain't broke, don't fix it... and it definitely ain't broke.

 

Well Ryan Braun would also be raking from the 8 spot, just less RBI and runs scored

[Nottso]

It's definitely "Luke." I'm kinda with RR on him hitting 8th. If it ain't broke, don't fix it... and it definitely ain't broke.

 

Well Ryan Braun would also be raking from the 8 spot, just less RBI and runs scored

Perhaps. Perhaps not. Twice now, Braun and Fielder have been switched in the lineup and both times, they both fell off dramatically.

[TheCrew07]

Johnny Estrada hit eleven home runs once.

And your point is?

 

Lucroy once hit 20 HR in a single MiLB season, considering he played a bit more than half the season and hit half his HRs in the FSL, that's darn impressive. Just because he didn't show much power last year, doesn't mean he's a slap hitting Kendell.

 

Personally I always thought he'd be a .750-.800 OPS guy. In other words an average to above average league wide hitter at C, which is extremely valuable. He has almost as many extra base hits already this season (31 games) as he had in his 75 games last season. I don't believe his rookie stats represented his true talent level, nor does the .900 OPS he's carrying now, but easily a better hitter than the 8th spot in the lineup.

[GB12]

Lu-Lu has been my nickname for him. Not at all manly or anything, but it's what always comes to my mind when he does something.

[Funketown]

Thank you TLB. At least someone got it... http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

Oh boy, that's pretty shameful on my part. To be honest, my first thoughts were Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre.

 

http://www.ricspics.net/hold/Hockeypics/images/grandpierre.jpg

[rluzinski]

It's definitely "Luke." I'm kinda with RR on him hitting 8th. If it ain't broke, don't fix it... and it definitely ain't broke.

 

Well Ryan Braun would also be raking from the 8 spot, just less RBI and runs scored

Perhaps. Perhaps not. Twice now, Braun and Fielder have been switched in the lineup and both times, they both fell off dramatically.

There's just is no good reason to assume causation. With what you are suggesting, Braun is in big trouble next year. There have been a number of studies that looked at production as a function of BOP. If there is a effect, they couldn't find it (beyond IBB, which isn't necessarily a bad thing). When Prince leaves, I will expect Braun's IBB to go up but will not expect any other change in production.

That said, I have to see a lot more of Lucroy before I'll be screaming to move him into the 2 or 5 spot. With either Gomez or Bentancourt in the lineup, he shouldn't be batting 8, IMO.

 

[TheCrew07]

There's just is no good reason to assume causation. With what you are suggesting, Braun is in big trouble next year. There have been a number of studies that looked at production as a function of BOP.

 

The problem of course is that it doesn't matter what studies show... if the player believes he won't be successful batting in a certain spot in the order, he won't be, it's a self fulfilling prophecy. Like Hardy with the 8 hole...

[cwolf2012]

Cool Hand Luc?

[rluzinski]

There's just is no good reason to assume causation. With what you are suggesting, Braun is in big trouble next year. There have been a number of studies that looked at production as a function of BOP.

 

The problem of course is that it doesn't matter what studies show... if the player believes he won't be successful batting in a certain spot in the order, he won't be, it's a self fulfilling prophecy. Like Hardy with the 8 hole...

I agree, if the player wills himself to not play well in certain circumstances, he... won't play well. Of course, we'll never know who they are. Your claim about Hardy is 100% speculation.

[GAME05]

i would think there'd be a huge difference batting 2nd and 8th (i hope i'm not getting too far off topic). at the #2, i'd figure you'd see a ton of fastballs and the pitcher being a lot more direct with the hitter so as not to walk you with two monsters in Braun and Fielder coming up. but at 8, seeing a lot more breaking stuff with the usually-automatic pitcher's spot coming up next (Greinke and his 1HR/16AB being the exception, of course). seems to me that you'd want to move Hart and Lucroy around in the batting order is if one of the two isn't hitting very well for a while (which obviously isn't happening right now). moving them now seems knee-jerk.

[derflotr]

If we go with JonLuc I'll always think of him as Norm Macdonald's frenchmen uncle. I call him LuCROY (accent croy). Sounds nicer than LOOcroy.

[TheCrew07]

My claim? Since when did I ever care where JJ batted in the line-up? He's the one who cared...

[RockCoCougars]

Johnny Estrada hit eleven home runs once.

And your point is?

He was just guessing my trivia question on the second post.

[rluzinski]

My claim? Since when did I ever care where JJ batted in the line-up? He's the one who cared...

What I'm saying is it's speculation whether batting #8 actually hurt Hardy's production is speculation, whether he attributed it to it or not. I'm sure you will disagree and that so we'll have to agree to disagree.

[TooLiveBrew]

Cool Hand Luc?

I approve.

"He's a natural born world-shaker."

[Nottso]

With what you are suggesting, Braun is in big trouble next year.

 

I'm not suggesting anything. I'm saying that moving a player in the order may affect his performance, and provided the quickest, easiest example of such that came to mind. It was just a bonus that it involved the very player that Topper suggests would still rake if moved to 8th.

 

And before you cite "small sample," how many games worth of diminished production would you be willing to live with? Were you okay with the Braun/Fielder switch because it was a "small sample" (twice)? If memory serves, pretty much this entire board was in a tizzy over the Braun/Fielder switch, and the general outcry was "switch them back!"

[davemakovec]

Johnny Estrada hit eleven home runs once.

And your point is?

Somebody asked who the last Brewer catcher was to hit 10+. That's it. For the record, I liked Johnny Estrada, but I like Jonathan Lucroy a whole lot better. He's not allergic to walks.

[Baldkin]

Cool Hand Luc?

I approve.

"He's a natural born world-shaker."

Great, now every time I see Wolf shake him off I'll think... "What we have here, is a failure to communicate."

[Hate those Rodents]

I'm surprised Estrada fell off the face of the earth. I liked him better than Kendall, and Jason looks like he'll have many more years in him than Estrada did.

[TooLiveBrew]

Great, now every time I see Wolf shake him off I'll think... "What we have here, is a failure to communicate."

Awesome. Now I will too!

[thablingster]

I've personally begun referring to JonLuc as the anti-black-hole. When we get those days of a black hole at the bottom of the lineup, he tends to save them batting 8th. He's off to a great start, hopefully he can keep it up.

[Nottso]

Nice little article about our catcher on the FS Wisconsin website. Nothing real Earth shattering, but still nice to read.

[hawing]

During Jonathan's 8th inning at-bat on Friday night, the crowd responded with some "Luuuuuuuuuuuuuc" chants between pitches. So 'Luc' it is. Good to know our discussion is having an impact. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Ennder]

I'm surprised Estrada fell off the face of the earth. I liked him better than Kendall, and Jason looks like he'll have many more years in him than Estrada did.

 

Difference is Estrada kept getting hurt and Kendall stayed healthy but just stunk. Kendall was also scrappy and Estrada didn't look like he really wanted to play half the time.