mvn
Posted July 30th, 2009 by mvn
Tags: Baseball, Detroit Tigers
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Curtis Granderson, You’re Not A Leadoff Hitter!

Curtis Granderson is on pace to hit 33 homeruns and strike out 139 times this season. His averages are .260/.344/.467. In 2008 he hit 22 homeruns and struck out 111 times. 2007 saw 26 and 141. And in 2006 he struck out 174 times. His career-high in stolen bases is just 26. Curtis Granderson, you are not a leadoff hitter.

This is a guy who should be batting sixth or seventh in the order. He does not walk nearly enough to bat from the one spot, nor does he hit high enough. Moreover, he does not steal frequently enough. Yes, he has the speed of a leadoff hitter, but not the proper bat.

Looking at the Tigers’ lineup, it becomes apparent that they do not have a true leadoff hitter. That is obviously why Granderson is in the role. But he will never be as successful as his potential will allow him to be in that spot. He should be hitting behind guys in the lineup like Placido Polanco, Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Guillen. I understand that his tremendous speed would lead one to believe that the one spot is his calling, but his lack of getting on base should, in reality, preclude him from consideration. You simply cannot have a leadoff hitter who only gets on base 34% of the time.

Granderson is a game changer: He led off the game last night with a home run. That’s a luxury in the same way that the Chicago Cubs were using Alfonso Soriano as the leadoff hitter. And look how that turned out. Manager Lou Piniella has dropped him to the six spot (Soriano’s plate struggles in general caused his ‘demotion’ but the point is clear nonetheless).

It is imperative that Granderson move down in the order in time. This may not be the year (as aforementioned the Tigers do not have anyone else to bat leadoff), but if the Tigers are able to acquire someone to fill that role, Granderson’s career will be that much better, and the fate of the Tigers’ lineup will be changed accordingly.

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