Cleveland Indians’ ideal lineup to close out the 2020 season

Second Base, Switch Hitter

Having been in the lead-off spot for most of the season, Cesar Hernandez has provided a bright spot as an off-season addition for the Cleveland Indians.

Atop the order for most of the season, Hernandez has logged an AL-high 201 plate appearances entering Saturday night. However, there are two reasons that Hernandez is best fit for the two-hole.

As I originally said, the job of the second batter in the lineup is to move the lead-off batter into position to score, or just score them all together. To do that, the ball needs to be in-play or deep enough in the outfield to result in a tag at second.

There’s a stat called BAbip, batting average on balls in play. For that stat, Hernandez is logging .336, which is second on the team. Here is the formula: (Hits-Home Runs) / (At-Bats – Strikeouts – – Home Runs + Sacrifice Flies). Essentially, it helps illustrate who can get balls into the field, which can translate to runners advancing, while also indicating that double plays aren’t common against that batter.

A more understandable and common stat that Hernandez produces is doubles. With 15 doubles entering Saturday’s game, Hernandez is currently leading the American League in the category.

Whether it be a ball in-play or a double, Hernandez has the ability to be an ideal two-spot batter who can give the Indians an early lead.