Why Moving Barton Down In the Batting Order Is A Bad Idea

Saying that is not to say that he shouldn’t hit 2nd ideally, it is saying that he is not hitting at his ideal production rate right now, and it’s time for the manager to acknowledge that.

If sending him to Sacramento is a better idea, show me how. He needs something. I don’t know what it is, ideally but right now, just ‘staying the course’ is not only lazy: there’s also no reason to think it will lead to any good conclusion.

1) Would flipping Barton for Sweeney or someone else lower in the order really matter that much? A lot of people at AN think that the lineup order doesn’t matter much. They could keep Barton in the lineup, just lower if they think it would help take the pressure off.

2) Would sending Barton down to AAA to get in a good place make sense if it’s for a couple of weeks? If he comes back hitting well it might be worth it.

3) What is Barton’s true talent? Obviously, small sample size is still in effect for defensive stats this season, but he’s been as awful in the field as he has been in the box. Is he a 5 WAR player… a replacement player… or something in between.

Pretty much every day, either Jackson or Sweeney is going to play somewhere, aren’t they? Each is a sub, sure, and they’re going to take someone’s place in your lineup, but they are going to play. either for Matsui, with Willingham DH’ing, or for someone else (Barton, Kouz, deJesus). So, ideally, either Sweeney or Jackson bats in the 3-hole. the lineup is very very rarely going to look as bad as you have presented it. Matsui is never going to bat cleanup until Willingham breaks or something.

His swing is awful. He inspires little hope that things will get markedly better. I know others refer to his babip and the line drives that are getting caught, but what I see is ball after fall hit with little force. His big wallop is a line drive into the outfield.

It’s kind of mind-blowing that the A’s don’t have better answers than Barton and Matsui right now. It would take so little to be better than these two at the plate.

I do worry about losing Barton in the field, and I realize that’s what’s likely saving his job right now. He is very smooth around the bag, handling the tough hop well and getting to balls his replacement likely wouldn’t. But, my god, what an awful hitter he’s become.

Looking at that collection of hitters.

Uncle.

I.E., one doesn’t make that move just for grins.

I.E., short-term, that move is possibly going to hurt the team, but the hope is, long-term it will galvanize the player to regain his command at the plate.

I.E., neither move (down or out) is made lightly. Both moves are likely negative for the team short-term, but either might be galvanizing for the player. conversely, either might shatter the player’s confidence and break him for all-time.

It’s never something one does without some major problem.

And, Houston, we have a problem here. When a player who attributes his sudden improvement into a near-star in 2010 to his reborn Christianity wants to climb up into the stands and mix it up with a fan who is supposedly representative of many “idiotic” A’s fans, when Christianity teaches to turn the other cheek, there’s a problem with that players mindset.

Out of the lineup altogether. Plus the off day of course. Get his head straight.

If that does not work, then down the lineup. If that fails, AAA

I think that might do the trick.

Harden is accompanying the team for a while, plans to throw to hitters.

The only reason this is important - assuming (HUGE assumption) he can get/stay healthy - is that the A’s were thinking of him as a reliever but it’s obvious they need another starter, particularly if Moscoso or Outman folds, or Ross or McCarthy are out for a while.

Could be big news, or of course…just blowin’ in the wind.

What about trading for Beltran and putting him at first or DH. I know he is a free agent, but it seems like a guy we could get for not too much.

the A’s hitting is so bad across the board that it doesn’t really matter where you put people, no runs will be scored. I agree the hitting is awful. But the A’s have some less awful hitters and real awful hitters. The less awful hitters should be at the top of the lineup.

There are, in fact, better hitters than Barton. I know that Barton has a high OBP relative to the rest of the team. That’s good, but not good enough. OBP assumes that a walk is exactly as good as a single. It isn’t. It’s almost as good, but walks don’t produce as many runs as singles. Runs win ball games.

For whatever reason, Barton’s bat speed is down. I don’t why that is. Watch him at the plate. It’s like he’s forty years old. The instinct is there, but the execution isn’t. He should be put down in the lineup with the less accomplished hitters on the team. I suggest sixth. It would make a small, but positive difference in the team’s run production.

Forget about whether he should be 2nd in the order, the real question is why is he on a major league roster? There is no way that you can justify wasting a roster spot on a 1st baseman that hits .220 with no power. I’m sure you pull someone off the minor league teams that could do better, or one of their backups that has 1st base experience. Of course it’s questionable whether they are better at 3rd base than at first. At least Barton is a slick fielding 1st baseman, while Kouz has got to be one of the worst in baseball, while not really hitting much better than Barton.

The problem with Barton is in his head and nothing will get him out of the slump playing everyday. Benching him for a week as a backup and playing Jackson will give him time to strighten out his head in batting practice. He needs to rest and clear his mind because once you start to press it is all down hill. The contract issue made him press and now his head is a mess. Sending him down might do the opposite so sitting on the bench and relaxation will be his best bet to get out of the slump.

Time and time again, people here keep mentioning Weeks and Cardenas as possible promotions to help with anemic A’s offense.

But what never gets mentioned is Jai Miller or Matt Carson, both of whom have 10 dingers already. Also, both are good with the glove. Cardenas doesn’t have a home on the field, and Weeks is a 2b, and Ellis is hard to dislodge.

Unless Matsui starts getting hot real quick, they could release/trade him, and bring up Miller or Carson.

What is awesome is that we are going to face Burnett, Becket, Lester, Buchholz, and Matusz in the next week. Then from June 17th on we play SF,at NY, at Philly, Marlins, Arizona. This next month is brutal.

Since Beane can’t/wont get us any real hitters, we should ask that the pitchers bat…..Okay all kidding aside.
Barton sits and Sweeney plays….Sweeney is much more of a offensive threat than Barton…But it is time to jettison Ellis and Kouz, both are utility types and are never going to be of any real offensive help. Bring Weeks and Sizemore up if we are going to have to put up with a bunch of #10 hitters might as well be young ones, maybe just maybe one of them will amount to something.

He has been in such a prolonged slump, that it is beginning to seem like he will never pull out of it. There must be someone at Sacramento who is hitting better who can play 1st. If not, Beane has done a poor job of stocking our minor league system.