Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com passes along news from SportsTime Ohio (STO) that Grady Sizemore will bat No. 2 this season and Asdrubal Cabrera will lead off.
According to the STO report, new manager Manny Acta told Sizemore that the decision was made in order to take advantage of his power and run producing ability. He told Sizemore the Indians could get much more out of him this way since he bats roughly 150 times without anybody on base out of the No. 1 spot. Anybody who reads this blog knows that we’re a fan of Acta’s sabermetric leanings, although it didn’t lead to success in Washington.
Sizemore, who underwent surgeries to repair his left elbow and abdominal wall last September, had 109 at-bats out of the two-spot last season, but has been the primary leadoff hitter for Cleveland since the 2005 season. 2753 of his 3131 career at-bats have come out of the No. 1 spot in the order.
Cabrera isn’t exactly the on-base machine that Sizemore is, but he’s close, posting on-base percentages of .354 (2007), .346 (2008) and .361 (2009) over his first three seasons in the majors. He put together a .301/.340/.459 batting line in 131 at-bats out of the leadoff spot last season while Sizemore battled injuries and ineffectiveness.