Rays playoff batting order?

[jackhammerslam]

You can post your own, but this is mine assuming Carl Crawford plays.

Fernando Perez-RF- Bonafide leadoff hitter, can put down the bunt and provide some power as well.

BJ Upton-CF-Has great speed for the bases as well and time off will help his torn labrum for the playoffs.

Carl Crawford-LF-The return of the great one. Provides excellent power, and great average hitting.

Evan Longoria-3B-Imagine if the 3 guys in front of him are on base. Wow, the amount of runs scored can be astronomical. Can usually never be pitched around well enough.

Carlos Pena-1B-When playing in front of Evan, still gets the shaft of the pitches. However, when Evan Almighty is in front, this one can get anything he wants pitch wise.

Dan Johnson-DH-Showed a lot down in Durham and had an excellent pinch hit against Papelbon in Boston. Just a flat out better average and power hitter at this stage then Cliff Floyd and Rocco Baldelli.

Ben Zobrist-2B-No need for 3 leadoff batters in the lineup(Aki, Perez, Bartlett) and Zobrist has improved his defense well this season. Great switch hitter as well and can knock in the runs.

Dioner Navarro-C-Terrible with RISP, but is a great average hitter and has a good OBP for a catcher.

Jason Bartlett-SS-Having him here is great to get someone on base with speed if just starting out the inning, only to have Perez lay down a bunt and move him over. Impressive GG defense as well.

I seriously doubt anything is getting through that outfield defense there. It's just too fast to let anything get in it. I know Floyd has been hitting good, but he has up and down times and while I appreciate him, he's veteran presence needs to be what we need most in the playoffs. Of course if Dan Johnson turns out to struggle mightily I don't have a problem throwing Cliff in at DH.

[Singabull]

Perez - unproven, speed is good but you can't get a bunt single every time

pena batting 5th? clean up maybe but you want him up as soon as possible late in a close game with his power

dan johnson - unproven as well and floyd and baldelli are flat out better

zobrist - not a good fielder and aki is better all around than him

dioner 8th? he has the highest average on the team

[jackhammerslam]

Perez - unproven, speed is good but you can't get a bunt single every time

pena batting 5th? clean up maybe but you want him up as soon as possible late in a close game with his power

dan johnson - unproven as well and floyd and baldelli are flat out better

zobrist - not a good fielder and aki is better all around than him

dioner 8th? he has the highest average on the team

Perez and Johnson I'm going off what I've seen so far and I've watched most Durham games online so I've seen how they played for the Bulls as well. Perez has played extremely well since coming up and not just by bunting either. I'm not saying Zobrist is the better fielder, but his average is quite deceiving because he was terrible at the beginning of the year and when he got the callup halfway through the season he's been lights out ever since. Navarro isn't good with RISP and since he'll have Bartlett behind him, if Navi can get a hit Bartlett will almost certainly get one two therefore putting two on. Plus I'd like to have someone with power behind Zobrist as well(or if you wish, Aki, I would have either of them there anyways).

[Singabull]

Perez - unproven, speed is good but you can't get a bunt single every time

pena batting 5th? clean up maybe but you want him up as soon as possible late in a close game with his power

dan johnson - unproven as well and floyd and baldelli are flat out better

zobrist - not a good fielder and aki is better all around than him

dioner 8th? he has the highest average on the team

Perez and Johnson I'm going off what I've seen so far and I've watched most Durham games online so I've seen how they played for the Bulls as well. Perez has played extremely well since coming up and not just by bunting either. I'm not saying Zobrist is the better fielder, but his average is quite deceiving because he was terrible at the beginning of the year and when he got the callup halfway through the season he's been lights out ever since. Navarro isn't good with RISP and since he'll have Bartlett behind him, if Navi can get a hit Bartlett will almost certainly get one two therefore putting two on. Plus I'd like to have someone with power behind Zobrist as well(or if you wish, Aki, I would have either of them there anyways).

Sure, perez and johnson have been good in AAA.  But, that's AAA, not MLB playoff pitching, something cliff floyd has experience with (and power).  And I don't know what you mean by "extremely well."  he has speed and will be an asset as a pinch runner or defensive outfielder but he's hitting .200, it's not like he's tearring it up on offense.

And where do you get the idea that navarro has power?  How many HRs does he have? 5?  If you power then go with hinske instead.  Hinske is not an every day player and still has about 20 homers, plus he's another veteran that know how to work a good at-bat

In the playoffs, you need guys that can draw walks and work the count and that have experience.  Putting AAA guys up there in the starting lineup would be ridiculous.  But with maddon's idiotic lineups, I guess it's possible.

[Matt]

Aki does NOT get benched for Zobrist.  are you kidding me???

[Bullpride08]

Aki does NOT get benched for Zobrist.  are you kidding me???

yeah, and Dan JOhnson hits one **** homer and he's now better than Baldelli, and Floyd?  Perez is missing miserably at times up there, he's still getting use to major league pitching.  Singabull said it best about Pena at clean-up, a manager would be insane not to have him at clean-up. 

The point is in the playoffs you're not facing middle of 5th day starters.  You're facing the best teams top 3 guys, and they've all got nasty stuff or those teams wouldn't be in the playoffs.  In those situations you go with experience.  You don't sit around and bank on guys Triple A experience for a line-up.  If Maddon put that suggested line-up into play for the playoffs I can guarantee you management would either have him committed or fired on the spot.

Now that might be a glimpse at what the future holds for the Rays but I severely doubt it too.  Zobrist will never be a regular at 2nd, and Perez takes away power wise, and with a team that could have a line-up with Aki, Upton, and Crawford you'll need someone in there that brings power to the plate.  Rest assured the Rays will be shopping for a RFing righty with power in the off-season.

[jackhammerslam]

Hopefully you guys against my lineup card are watching today's game as Cliff gives up on a play and Perez is the reason they are in this game as well as winning the Red Sox game two nights ago.

[jackhammerslam]

Perez making the comments against him look foolish today. The guy is more of a complete player than Upton or CC. Sorry buds!

[Matt]

Perez making the comments against him look foolish today. The guy is more of a complete player than Upton or CC. Sorry buds!

WOW.  that is a FOOLISH comment right there.

[jackhammerslam]

Perez making the comments against him look foolish today. The guy is more of a complete player than Upton or CC. Sorry buds!

WOW.  that is a FOOLISH comment right there.

Is it? Upton with his lacklaster running, and amazing strikeouts. Oh, and let's not even talk about CC who refuses to play anywhere but LF and his less than stellar bat and base running this year. Yeah, right.

Apparently Perez was running too fast for you to catch him get to first on a throw 99% of other MLB players couldn't run out.