Has a reporter ever asked Scioscia why he continues to bat Pujols 3rd or 4th?

[beatlesrule]

If so, what did Scioscia say?  Has a reporter brought up his abysmal average with RISP and that fact that Pujols is hitting under .250 for the season?  If not, why haven't they?  Why isn't Pujols allowed to bat 5th and see if that can make him remember how to hit?  Does he maybe have language in his contract that states he can hit no lower than 4th for the duration of his contract?  Is this all on Stubborn Scioscia?  Do you think Scioscia is scared to bat Albert 5th or 6th? Are there too many politics involved because Pujols was really good 5 years ago?  There has got to be some kind of reason why a guy that is hitting .229 with RISP continues to hit 3rd in the lineup.  I tried to find the worst BA with RISP in all of MLB but I couldn't figure out how.  I have to assume Albert is towards the bottom of the list.

[mp170.6]

Our local sports media doesn't have the balls to ask questions like that. 

[Docwaukee]

so should we put Lou Gehrig or Barry Bonds in the 3/4 spot?  

 

Albert has a wRC+ of 117 on the season.  Second best on the team.  Tied with Cron and slightly better than Calhoun (113).  Freese is at 105.  

 

with RISP, Albert has a wRC+ of 96.  Slightly below league average.  Trout, Freese, Calhoun, and Iannetta are better.  

 

Trout and Calhoun are already ahead of him in the lineup.  Iannetta is hitting .180 with a wRC+ of 73 overall.  Freese and his 105 wRC+ with RISP could possibly handle it but considering that only about 20-25% of PA actually come with RISP then you are trading one thing for another.  

 

This is not about where Albert ranks relative to the league, this is about who they would have to replace him.

 

and that is why no one asks Scioscia that question because the answer is obvious.  

 

There is no one else.   

[beatlesrule]

I have no idea what wRC+ means but a lineup of Calhoun, Murphy/Aybar, Trout, Cron, Pujols, Aybar/Murphy is better than any lineup with Pujols 3rd or 4th. Why not bat Pujols lower and see if that can make him snap out of it?  Is Pujols just so bad that no matter where he hits in the lineup, he will still stink?  I wonder if he is all about trying to get to 600 hr and doesn't care about anything else.

[Angel Oracle]

All I know is, even in 2012 he had 50 doubles to go with the 30 HRs.

Now?   Only 18 doubles to go with 35 HRs, and his OPS in 2014-2015 is BARELY better than when he was hurt (plantar fasciitis) in 2013.

 

Other than being older than he claims, because he looks like a 37/38 year-old, what causes someone to lose it so fast?

[laagamer]

Salary and name dictates playing time and lineup spot. 

 

It's been that way for four years now and it isn't going to change any time soon.

 

 

Plus, I think that if anyone in our press team grew the balls to ask that question, Scioscia wouldn't even have the balls to answer it. 

[beatlesrule]

Arod was moved down in the lineup.  Not sure how old he was at the time but I do remember him hitting 7th and 8th and he was the highest paid player at the time.

[laagamer]

Arod was moved down in the lineup.  Not sure how old he was at the time but I do remember him hitting 7th and 8th and he was the highest paid player at the time.

 

Was that directed at my comment? 

[Troutstanding]

Why would moving Albert in the order make him a better hitter? Besides, statistically speaking the three hole sees less RBI opportunities than the four and five spots. 

[jsnpritchett]

Yes, someone asked Mike that once.  His response?

 

[NrM]

so should we put Lou Gehrig or Barry Bonds in the 3/4 spot?  

 

Albert has a wRC+ of 117 on the season.  Second best on the team.  Tied with Cron and slightly better than Calhoun (113).  Freese is at 105.  

 

with RISP, Albert has a wRC+ of 96.  Slightly below league average.  Trout, Freese, Calhoun, and Iannetta are better.  

 

Trout and Calhoun are already ahead of him in the lineup.  Iannetta is hitting .180 with a wRC+ of 73 overall.  Freese and his 105 wRC+ with RISP could possibly handle it but considering that only about 20-25% of PA actually come with RISP then you are trading one thing for another.  

 

This is not about where Albert ranks relative to the league, this is about who they would have to replace him.

 

and that is why no one asks Scioscia that question because the answer is obvious.  

 

There is no one else.   

 

It is a little disingenuous to ignore the historic month and a half that inflated his overall numbers. 

 

He has a wRC of 86 and -.1 fWAR since the allstar break. 

Over his last 70 games(almost half the season) he has an OPS of .652.

 

He's basically been the worst 3/4 hitter in baseball for 85% of the season and the best for 15% it,

Edited September 16, 2015 by Poozy

[Angel Oracle]

Over the past 70 games, one of the WORST EVER cleanup hitters

[Stradling]

Has a reporter ever asked Dipoto how he expected a team with the poor of an offense how he expected them to compete?

[Blarg]

It is a little disingenuous to ignore the historic month and a half that inflated his overall numbers.

He has a wRC of 86 and -.1 fWAR since the allstar break.

Over his last 70 games(almost half the season) he has an OPS of .652.

He's basically been the worst 3/4 hitter in baseball for 85% of the season and the best for 15% it,

What happens with Trouts numbers when you remove the two over inflated months?

[NrM]

What happens with Trouts numbers when you remove the two over inflated months?

 

 

Pujols' streak lasted around a month.

 

Go ahead and remove Trout's best month. His numbers will still be great.

Edited September 15, 2015 by Poozy

[mp170.6]

Has a reporter ever asked Dipoto how he expected a team with the poor of an offense how he expected them to compete?

 

Again, this is the same team that won 98 games last year.  We were No. 1 in runs scored last season. 

 

How this year's offensive failures rest on Dipoto's shoulders is beyond me. 

[Blarg]

You said two, so we will stay with your first statement. Do the math then get back to us.

[Troll Daddy]

Again, this is the same team that won 98 games last year. We were No. 1 in runs scored last season.

How this year's offensive failures rest on Dipoto's shoulders is beyond me.

Is it really the same team or are you just making chit up as you go?

[Oz27]

If so, what did Scioscia say? Has a reporter brought up his abysmal average with RISP and that fact that Pujols is hitting under .250 for the season? If not, why haven't they? Why isn't Pujols allowed to bat 5th and see if that can make him remember how to hit? Does he maybe have language in his contract that states he can hit no lower than 4th for the duration of his contract? Is this all on Stubborn Scioscia? Do you think Scioscia is scared to bat Albert 5th or 6th? Are there too many politics involved because Pujols was really good 5 years ago? There has got to be some kind of reason why a guy that is hitting .229 with RISP continues to hit 3rd in the lineup. I tried to find the worst BA with RISP in all of MLB but I couldn't figure out how. I have to assume Albert is towards the bottom of the list.

Nobody has asked because few people are stupid enough to think this.

[Blarg]

You are afraid of what you might find?

How about trying this one and seeing if it fits. Trout and Pujols seem to feed off each other but when one goes cold the other seems to follow. Could it be that when Trout goes cold pitchers have a lot more lattitude when it comes to pitching to Pujols since there are fewer runners on, if any.

Some people say lineup protection is bullshit but I think it is a two way door. If the #3 guy is stepping up there with two outs and bases empty, just how productive can can he be? How creative can the pitcher be knowing he can pitch the corners because worst case scenario is... Matt Joyce on deck?

Dominos can fall both directions, Poozy.

[NrM]

You said two, so we will stay with your first statement. Do the math then get back to us.

no

[tdawg87]

Is it really the same team or are you just making chit up as you go?

 

Unless you feel that Kendrick was half the offense, then yes, this is pretty much the exact same team.

[beatlesrule]

Wait, there are people actually sticking up for Pujols? Calling my question a stupid one?  He is hitting cleanup tonight.  Are you simply sticking up for Scioscia or do you generally think a guy that is one of the worst hitters with RISP and is only hitting .246 on the season should be hitting cleanup even when there are better options?  Is there anyone here that thinks Pujols has been a good player and signing for the Angels?

[Blarg]

Everyone is saying there are only worse options on the roster.

[Stradling]

Again, this is the same team that won 98 games last year. We were No. 1 in runs scored last season.

How this year's offensive failures rest on Dipoto's shoulders is beyond me.

Featherston, Joyce, no bench.