Best way to determine a team's lineup

[achtungbaby]

Is there something I'm missing here? Why the hell are baseball line ups so varied? Some guys will play consecutively and then for no reason at all, be scratched from the line up. I know that coaches will make decisions based on match ups, etc...but do most players take certain days off? And who the hell has the best information on finding out any given scheduled line up for that week...?

[BeTheReds]

Most regular position players need a day off now and then. Usually this comes on Monday if the team is playing on monday.

Otherwise it will come on tuesday.

Catchers need days off more than anyone else.

OFs usually go 5 days and then rest.

the 1B and DH sometimes switch back and forth, so they don't need to rest so much.

2B and SS don't usually come out the least. Especially if their names are Jeter, Ripken or Rodriguez. Their defensive skills are more important.

I wouldn't worry about it so much. Chances are, if he came out, he was probably going to have a bad day tht day because he was tired or something.


No one knows the lineup schedule before the game except for the managers. You have to guess.

[cmar]

Here's what you can do: about half an hour before the game is scheduled to start, Yahoo will list the official starting lineups for each game. You can access it by clicking on the "Status" link next to the player's name (where it shows the game's starting time) and then click on the "box score" link. It will show you who is playing that day.

Even better, if you paid for "Stat Tracker" it will show whether a player is in the starting lineup by showing "0" in the player's stat categories. This occurs about half an hour before the start time, also. If you see a game is close to starting and the stat categories are all blank....you know he is not in the starting lineup. Of course this is only if you paid the $7.95 for Stat Tracker, which I highly recommend.

It is great fun to open the stat tracker while the games are being played. Anyone else do this? Or am I the only one with too much time on my hands?

[lethal]

cmar, you're the only one who can be on Yahoo to make changes half an hour before the games start.

AB, look at a player's previous seasons. If he regularly plays 160 games a year, you can be confident he'll be in there every day that he's not injured.

Otherwise, look to see if he's playing a "platoon." This is a situation where he splits time with another teammate. If a left handed pitcher is starting for the other team, then the right handed platoon partner plays. If a right handed starter is pitching, then the leftie hitter starts. As there are about 3 right handed pitchers for every left handed one, the left handed hitter starts much more.

Catchers almost never play a day game after a night game. In fact, day games after night games are when most teams give tired players a day off.

Sometimes managers look for a matchup. A few nights ago, the Phillies played Todd Pratt at C against Al Leiter of the Mets because he was a career 777 hitter vs Leiter. So they sat Mike Lieberthal.

<shrug> Its a crapshoot too. In this head to head league, it doesn't matter quite as much as in roto or points leagues.

[cmar]

I thought you were all, like me, obsessively watching the Stat Tracker during the games. Ohhh yeah, it's better than sex!!!

[achtungbaby]

Originally posted by cmar@May 23 2003, 09:10 AM
Anyone else do this? Or am I the only one with too much time on my hands?
Yikes, you're like, some baseball psycho...omigod!

*clicks on stat tracker*

I got stat tracker for basketball too...because I must know *now*. And while it's cheap, honestly...I'm sure they get the starting line up info more than 30 min prior to a game...sheesh.

I didn't know the thing about catchers...I know they don't play much but I figured they took just one more day off more than regular players.

BTW...have you guys heard of streaming your pitchers...?