(Akiit.com) Whether you are managing a recreational or professional baseball team, you are going to have to create a batting lineup. This determines which player will bat at which point. Making sure that the right player bats at the right time can ensure that you excel in the game and succeed. So, here’s everything that you need to know to get things right!
Keep Your Age Group in Mind
If you are coaching a particularly young team, you probably don’t need to create a batting lineup. Little ones should be given the opportunity to experiment with playing in different positions. Winning isn’t necessarily the be all and end all of the sport – you could focus more on discovering where the little ones’ strengths lie and giving them a chance to prove themselves.
Invest in Custom Lineup Cards
When dealing with an older team who want to play competitively, you should start placing players in positions that best suit their skillset. In order to make sure everyone is well aware of the team’s lineup, you’re going to have to use a lineup card. To make things look more official, invest in custom baseball lineup cards. These can have your team name and logo printed at the top. This is especially useful for team members who play for multiple teams, as they can then remember where they fall in the batting line up for each given game that they will play.
The Lead Off
So, let’s take a moment to exemplify what you should be searching for in a batter for each given position in the lineup. We’ll start with the lead off. You should place your team’s fastest runner in the lead off position. After all, the role of the lead off is to guarantee a base. It doesn’t matter if they can’t hit too far, as long as they can make their way to a base before being caught out.
2-Spot
The two spot should be a reliable hitter. It’s important that they make contact with the ball and send it somewhere out of the way. For this position, neither speed nor power comes first. You just need to ensure that the player can almost definitely get a hit.
3-Hole
The three hole can be any hitter. This is a good spot for an average player in your team.
Clean Up
The clean up is perhaps one of the most desired positions to play. Fill it with your most powerful hitter. This will force in-fielders to step back, giving all players a chance to progress from base to base.
5 Position
Your five position should also have a powerful hit. They are essentially a back up, should the clean up not manage to hit all of the bases.
Six and Seven
Six and seven should be of relatively equal ability when it comes to batting and running.
Batting Eight
Batting eight is good for players who are aiming for a little practice to make their way up the ladder.
Nine Spot
While nine spot tends to be reserved for the weakest batter, it is a good place to give a new player a shot and some good practice.
Sure, putting together a batting line up can be a relatively difficult process. But hopefully the above advice will give you a good idea of how to get started!
Staff Writer; Carl Brown