Even though most studies suggest that incremental changes in batting order position have minimal impact on run production, each slot still carries a certain connotation. Leadoff is usually reserved for a player with speed, while cleanup is the domain of a slugger. The third position, however, is the slot usually reserved for a team’s best hitter. As the Yankees enter the 2011 post season, Joe Girardi has decided that Robinson Cano is the hitter on his team who best fits that description, at least against right handed pitchers.
Cano’s elevation in the lineup not only represents a promotion for the second baseman, but it also constitutes a partial demotion for Mark Teixeira, who has primarily occupied the role over the last three seasons. Most teams coasting into the playoffs with their league’s best record usually don’t make significant changes at the end of the season, but Girardi should be commended for his willingness to reverse course at such a late stage. With consecutive MVP-caliber seasons under his belt, Cano has firmly established himself as one of the American League’s best players and arguably the most feared hitter in the Yankees lineup. Meanwhile, Teixeira has seen his overall production decline, particularly from the left side. On that basis alone, the lineup adjustment seems warranted, but when you consider the relative post season performance of each player, the switch makes even more sense (although that’s more of an indictment of Teixeira than complement to Cano).
Mark Teixeira vs. Robinson Cano, Post Season Performance
| G | PA | R | H | HR | RBI | BA | OBP | SLG | |
| Mark Teixeira | 26 | 122 | 17 | 22 | 3 | 12 | 0.214 | 0.320 | 0.330 |
| Robinson Cano | 37 | 152 | 19 | 35 | 6 | 20 | 0.248 | 0.296 | 0.461 |
Source: baseball-reference.com
It remains to be seen whether Girardi’s lineup switch will be maintained after the 2011 post season, but regardless, Teixeira has had a pretty good run in the three-hole. Since 1919, the Yankees have had 183 players bat third, but only eight have been penciled into that slot more than Teixeira. What’s more, Teixeira is one of only six Yankees to primarily bat third in three consecutive seasons.
Yankees Top-10 Third Place Hitters, Ranked by Games Started Since 1919
Source: Baseball-reference.com
The Captain's Blog 