Just got tonight’s Mets lineup from our producer Carly:
Pagan
Castillo
Reyes
Bay
Wright
Davis
Francoeur
Barajas
Maine
I spent some time weighing in on batting orders before the season started, but it’s been such a hot-button topic lately that I’ve sort of soured on the subject. Bottom line is it just doesn’t make a huge difference.
Reyes will finally bat third, which means we can finally stop hearing about it, which will likely be the single best outcome from this lineup. To me, it doesn’t seem like a great plan to drop your best hitter down in the order, but the batting-order optimizer actually calls for the fifth hitter to be better than the third and fourth hitters, so you know, what do I know? Plus it’s not like Wright’s exactly destroying the ball lately.
And I don’t know if Jerry Manuel thinks there’s a rule in place stating that the second baseman must always bat second, but he’s done that in every game this year, including the ones when Cora started. Maybe I understand the logic in putting a batter there who could knock the leadoff hitter over, but that assumes the leadoff hitter got on base, of course, which won’t happen somewhere between 60 and 65 percent of the time.
And I’m not certain I love the idea of Barajas, who rarely takes pitches, batting eighth, where he’s likely to get pitched around. Yesterday’s walk notwithstanding, Rod Barajas has shown that he will not be pitched around.
Whatever, whatever. That’s already more thought than a lineup shakeup probably merits, especially for a team struggling to score runs. And if Jerry Manuel thinks batting Reyes in front of Jason Bay might get Bay out of his slump, then, well, cool.
Tedquarters 
Aside from all the reasons not to make this move at all, I don’t quite get making this move now. Of course the Mets offense has by no means become a juggernaut, but they’ve finally won a series, and Reyes is hitting well the past few games. Why mess with the lineup when things are (sort of) starting to work?
Too many poor hitters! Barajas and the old Francouer never walk. Castillo has zero pop. Wright and Bay so many K’s at least now. Still not enough power even considering they’re playing in a pitchers’ park.
I like it. The out-machines are at the bottom of the lineup (7&8); Pagan is out of the 8 spot (where he never belonged); the three righties are broken by Ike; and an extra base hit machine is at 3. I have no problem with the second baseman batting second, so long as his name is NOT Alex Cora. Cora should bat 8th when he plays.
It seems that people who object to Reyes’ batting 3rd envision him as a Brett Butler type of hitter because of his speed. But Reyes is a line drive hitter whose bat can play anywhere. The guy had 72 extra basehits his last full season (2008).
I just can’t get behind Castillo 2nd. It’s unlikely he’ll be a .370 obp guy again, and a .350 obp can’t make up for his awful slugging.
I also don’t get moving Wright to 5th at all, but I guess with Jerry you gotta grade on a curve. At least it’s not F-cat or Jacobs 4th.
But the only skills he possesses are best suited for the two-hole — taking pitches and getting on base. If you drop him in the order, he’ll need to drive in runs. And he can’t do that.
I agree with Gina. I’d go Reyes/Pagan/Wright/Bay/Davis/Francouer/Barajas/Pitcher/Castillo
Sherm I’d disagree, I’d say his lack of slugging outweighs anything his obp adds in the two spot. And after the first inning the idea of certain positions being expected to drive in runs kind of becomes pointless since I’d imagine the 2 spot comes up with men on just as often as other spots. Plus the idea that certain positions are expected to drive in runs is kind of weird to me at least. If, hypothetically, we batted Castillo 8th, or followed the LaRussa method of 9th, would he come up with men on any more often than he would in the two hole? And even if he did as long as he didn’t make an out would it really matter?
Now the way its set up basically every time the lead off man gets on in front of Castillo Jerry loses his mind and sacrifices an out to move the lead off man over, so it’s not even like we’re gaining much from his obp. At least if a better hitter/slugger were there maybe Jerry wouldn’t feel so compelled to have the #2 man bunt.
Don’t get me started on Jerry’s penchant for sacrificing unnecessarily.
As for Castillo, his absurdly low isolated power outweighs his obp no matter where you hit him.
It’s either 2nd or 8th for him. But who would you bat second in his place? Our roster is hardly replete with high obp guys.
I know his poor power will always negate a lot of his obp value but at least if you’re batting him somewhere 6th-9th you’re not putting him in a position to get way more at bats that superior hitters. Back when I still believed Beltran was going to come riding in on his white horse to deliver us I wanted him to bat second when he came back, but as for now if Jerry’s determined to put Pagan in the top of the line up I’d prefer Pagan then Reyes, or vica-versa. I’m not sure Pagan is all that better of a choice than Castillo but I’d rather just have one of them at the top then having both of the most at bats.