Experimenting with lineup

Tony La Russa does it, and it just might make sense for the Marlins to do it too.

To fully maximize the speed in their lineup, Florida could consider batting the pitcher eighth and Cameron Maybin ninth.

La Russa frequently has the Cardinals pitcher batting eighth.

By doing that, Maybin would have a better chance to develop his offense because he won’t have the pitcher behind him. Instead, he would have Emilio Bonifacio.

The problem, typically, for eighth hitters is they see mostly off-speed pitches because the pitcher is on deck.

The hitter most impacted would be Cody Ross, who has been batting seventh. He then would have the pitcher behind him, unless left-handed hitting Jeremy Hermida flip-flopped with Ross. Hermida has been hitting sixth.

If Maybin hits ninth, then the speed would fall in line for Florida. You’d have Bonifacio following, then John Baker and Hanley Ramirez.

It’s something to certainly think about.

In 2005, when Dontrelle Willis was a force at the plate, former manager Jack McKeon once had the D-Train hit as high as seventh.

– Joe Frisaro