Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas reports that Rangers manager Ron Washington is considering batting Nelson Cruz higher than seventh during the World Series against the Cardinals.
“I may make a change, I just don’t know where it’s going to be yet,” Washington said. Asked if moving Cruz up was under consideration, Washington said: “It’s a possibility.”
Cruz has batted seventh in all 10 postseason games thus far. He went just 1-for-15 during the ALDS against the Rays, but won the MVP during the ALCS by slugging six homers and driving in 13 runs.
While Cruz has certainly hit well enough to justify a change, there’s no obvious candidate to be bumped down in the order. Michael Young has batted exclusively out the cleanup spot during the postseason while Adrian Beltre and Mike Napoli have followed him in the order. Ultimately, it’s a pretty nice problem to have.