I dont mind Hanley hitting 1st......We moved him to 3 last year and he didnt hit quite as well, that being said Im not really against moving him to the 3 hole.......My two main problems are hitting Uggla 2 and Hermida 3............Hermida hasnt proved anything in this league so why hit him 3....As Tommy once so graciously stated "Make him earn it".....Lastly, why Alfredo isnt hitting 2 is beyond me......I truly beleive he should be starting everyday and hitting two. I know that he doesnt hit well as a righty but I think his defensive value in CF should keep him there on an everyday basis (I think hes quite an upgrade over Cody defensively)

 

Hanley

Fredo

Hammer (our 2nd best hitter)

Jacobs

Hermida

Uggla

Jorge

TREANOR (slightly ahead of Rabelo...Matt is just so good defensively)

SP

If you read the some of the media articles on the team site, Gonzalez clearly has it in the back of his mind. In fact is was one of the first statements made by Gonzalez when he took over for Girardi. While I think the issue is more complex than any of us can possibly know, statistically I feel there is validity for him moving from the lead off spot. You want to keep the comfort of your best player in mind but you must remember that this is a team operation and for a lineup to function to its maximum potential, players must be ordered properly. Are we certain that Hermida is comfortable where he is hitting now? Would Uggla benefit from being demoted? What happens when Maybin joins the team for good?

Of course it's in the back of his mind. The role your star player on your team is always on the back of your mind, but there's day to day concerns and 24 other guys on the squad. You can't focus on 1/9th of the lineup.

 

We shouldn't be focusing on arguments against not moving him. We should be hearing arguments that moving him helps the team. Very few clear sound arguments have been made for why Hanley shouldn't bat leadoff, even fewer for why he shouldn't bat leadoff for the Marlins. The focus needs to move away from his skill set or the lack thereof of some members on the team. We aren't nailing in pegs into holes. We're developing an offense. That means considering the strengths and weaknesses of each and every player and their impact to each other.