whos the best leadoff hitter?

[Nappy Roots]

If it's straight-up and true, what an awful trade for TB.

thats a bull**** homer paper for the angels. there has been no talk on our side about this, its all about the angels and what they want, all lies.

....

 

[King Felix]

ichiro :yes:

 

[phunwin]

I was going to mention Youk, but I didn't want to be called a homer. Youk is great at getting on base but he doesn't have a lot of speed which is something you'd want your lead off hitter to have.

If I were going to make a list I'd say: Ichiro, Sizemore, Damon, then possibly Youk.

Speed's nice, but getting on base is significantly more important. So no, you're not a homer. :)

 

[MikeO]

I was going to mention Youk, but I didn't want to be called a homer. Youk is great at getting on base but he doesn't have a lot of speed which is something you'd want your lead off hitter to have.

If I were going to make a list I'd say: Ichiro, Sizemore, Damon, then possibly Youk.

If Youk is that high on the list what does it say about your manager that he doesn't hit him there anymore?

 

[Phins28]

Rickey Henderson

 

[dominizzo]

Ichiro Suzuki!! Amazing TAlented

 

[Ray Finkle]

If Youk is that high on the list what does it say about your manager that he doesn't hit him there anymore?

Good point, however no one (me included) ever said Francona was smart.

A lot of good line off hitters don't bat lead off anymore (like Carl Crawford and even Jeter). I think that if Loretta wasn't in the Red Sox line up, Youk would be batting 1st with Coco batting 2nd like he did in Cleveland.

 

[RWhitney014]

....

Sorry, didn't want to read the whole thread about leadoff hitters to see if anyone else had commented on the rumor.

Anyway, Phil, don't underestimate the importance of speed at the top. Yes, OBP is very important for a leadoff hitter, but a slow baserunner clogs the bases for the whole offense. That's why Reyes is still batting leadoff as opposed to 7th or 8th.