I can guarantee you that the Astros aren't going to win many road games with its lineup getting around 3-4 hits/game... regardless of who is batting leadoff.
He's 3 for his last 30 with 11 K's and there's possibly only 3 games left in the season. Benching him might be an over reaction, but not much of one. You don't really have the luxury of waiting for a slumping player to break out of his funk. Springer is pressing and the fact that it's now the World Series isn't helping the matter. It might be harder for him to deal with his slump now than if it were the regular season.
Especially if we lose today, id rather have tried something different and fail than do nothing and fail.
Id rather lose with trustworthy guys that have produced throughout the season than lose with a bench player and look like a foolish manager that lost trust in his team Dance with who brung you there
I still disagree with this extremely though. Id rather stick close to a lineup that has proven it is great offensively throughout the season and fail rather than choose the world series as a time to second guess yourself and change things up a lot only to fail. Hinch needs to think like a therapist (getting springers confidence back) not like an engineer or mathematician (trying to unlock or figure out some new batting order formula) Kershaw made everyone look bad. Springer wasnt the problem. Dont scapegoat him and send a message to springer that you lost faith in him if you are hinch.
Moving Springer down is a solution available. Many of our other problems dont have ready solutions. I am not picking on Springer, its just having a guy 3/30 in leadoff seems the most obvious of moves to make. As far as faith goes, guys have to prove faith is warranted in the first place. As far as Springer's feelings/psyche goes, it would be hard to imagine a worse plate approach than the one he employs presently. Sure, our road problems are much much deeper than Springer alone. I never meant to imply otherwise. It just seems 2 or 3 other guys would be better there right now than Springer.
Springer is a great hitter. I have confidence he will change his approach and start making solid contact.
He has - that's the point. Demoting him after 30 PAs when he's been one of the better hitters in baseball, really is a terrible idea. ESPECIALLY when you consider he just slashed .412/.474/.706/1.180 in the ALDS. And btw, AJ Hinch agrees. Again, I'll ask: why are you so anxious to fix what isn't broken? Altuve and Gurriel are having monster postseasons - why would you start messing with either of them? Leave what's working alone.
You seem utterly baffled by this...... BROKEN: Springer NOT BROKEN: Altuve, Gurriel, Bregman (especially v LHs) If you fix what's broken (Springer), you run the risk of breaking what isn't broken (whichever player you suggest moving). If a line-up change has the power to right a player, it most certainly has the capacity to trip a player up. What's you're doing is assuming whatever Gurriel does hitting 5th or 6th will automatically head with him to 1 or 2 - or whatever your plan is. Yeah, that's not necessarily how things work. The Astros' best plan of attack is to leave what's working alone. If there were viable solutions beyond that.... OK. But there really isn't. You're not going to hit Reddick first. Or McCann. Or Ganzalez...
Did you not want engagement and dissent? You've offered a strong defense... you were hoping we'd all either get in line or shrug our shoulders and move? For myriad reasons, messing around with what worked over an extremely long sample size because of a recent small sample size is simply not smart.
I think as a fan it's easy to say wow, Springer's approach looks awful and lose any faith he's going to get it things turned around anytime soon. To us, our lineup looks anemic on the road and feel we need to try something to kickstart theses guys. However, I think as the manager you have to show confidence in your team and continue to tell them we can do this, we are just one big AB away from lighting it up again. You can't tell Springer 'Hey, we are moving you down to the 7 hole' and then expect him to get hot. I don't think it's the pressure of being #1 in the order. I think he wants to break out so bad that he's really forcing it now and it's throwing off is plate discipline and mental approach. He needs to simmadownnow. This is where I hoped Beltran's experience/mentorship would come in handy.
One could argue that, if we had a lot of data about whatever the suggested order is from this year (Springer in the 5 hole or benched or whatever, Altuve moved up, etc.), then you could argue for making a change. But absent that data, I agree that it doesn't make sense to make change for change's sake, just because you're in the World Series. It might make someone feel better / feel like they have more control over the situation--to quote Jim above "id rather have tried something different and fail than do nothing and fail." But the reality is, actively choosing not to do something isn't the same as "doing nothing". If Hinch is evaluating and deciding that it's better to stay as is, then he's "trying something". If he fails, then at least he tried....same as otherwise. Just because your (general "you") evaluation is "make a change" doesn't make it more of a decision/attempt.
Thats EXACTLY my point when i say hinch needs to be more of a therapist than a mathematician right now. Great post
Most of our disagreement revolves around perceived consequences of changing the BO, the leadoff spot specifically. Some think they are huge, I do not. No amount of further debate is going to elucidate that. I see guys moved around all the time without consequence, but the leadoff spot and Springer are sacred cows some how. I dont accept or believe that. You and some others apparently do. As far as what I expect others to do, I expect them to reach their own conclusions.
