Cleanup hitter
In baseball, a cleanup hitter is the fourth hitter in the batting order. The cleanup hitter is traditionally the team's most powerful hitter. His job is to "clean up the bases", i.e., drive in base runners.[1]
Theory
The thinking behind the use of the cleanup hitter is that at least one of the batters before him will reach
Trends
Each individual hitter's strengths and weaknesses determine their spot on the daily lineup card. As the number four hitter's primary responsibility is to
Designated Hitter
The designated hitter (DH) is a batter that hits for the pitcher and never plays defense. The DH is important because the DH is usually one of the better hitters. It is a trend that the DH is either in the third, fourth, or fifth spot in the lineup. The DH was adopted by the American League of North American Major League Baseball in 1973 and by the National League in 2022. In games without a DH, the pitcher hit in the lineup unless another player pinch hit for the pitcher, in which case the pitcher left the game and was replaced for the team's next defensive half-inning.[4] Between 1973 and 2022, when there were interleague games and the National League was the home team, the American League team did not use a DH, and their pitchers took their turn at bat.
Records
* | Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. |
---|
Most runs batted in as cleanup hitter
Below is a list of Major League Baseball players with the most
Rank | Player | RBI |
---|---|---|
1 | Lou Gehrig * | 1,515 |
2 | Eddie Murray * | 1,340 |
3 | Fred McGriff * | 1,224 |
4 | Manny Ramirez | 1,215 |
5 | Joe DiMaggio * | 1,207 |
6 | Al Simmons * | 1,206 |
7 | Albert Belle | 1,184 |
8 | Jim Bottomley * | 1,167 |
9 | Willie Stargell * | 1,131 |
10 | Carlos Delgado | 1,112 |
Most games played as cleanup hitter
Below is a list of Major League Baseball players with the most games played in the cleanup spot as of the end of the 2020 season.[5]
Rank | Player | G |
---|---|---|
1 | Eddie Murray * | 2,041 |
2 | Fred McGriff * | 1,826 |
3 | Honus Wagner * | 1,812 |
4 | Willie McCovey * | 1,622 |
5 | Lou Gehrig * | 1,545 |
6 | Willie Stargell * | 1,535 |
7 | Jim Bottomley * | 1,525 |
8 | Greg Luzinski | 1,521 |
9 | Dave Winfield * | 1,484 |
10 | Nap Lajoie * | 1,458 |
Most plate appearances as cleanup hitter
Below is a list of Major League Baseball players with the most plate appearances from the cleanup spot as of the end of the 2020 season.[5]
Rank | Player | PA |
---|---|---|
1 | Eddie Murray * | 8,775 |
2 | Fred McGriff * | 7,777 |
3 | Honus Wagner * | 7,708 |
4 | Lou Gehrig * | 7,004 |
5 | Jim Bottomley * | 6,742 |
6 | Willie McCovey * | 6,659 |
7 | Willie Stargell * | 6,545 |
8 | Greg Luzinski | 6,477 |
9 | Dave Winfield * | 6,351 |
10 | Albert Belle | 6,332 |
References
- ^ Kalkman, Sky (2009-03-17). "Optimizing Your Lineup By The Book". beyondtheboxscore.com.
- ISBN 9781494260170.
- ISBN 9780465005963.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ Brinson, Linda (2012-08-26). "Whats The Difference between the American and National Leagues?".
- ^ a b c "Batting Split Finder". Stathead. Sports Reference. Retrieved 25 January 2021.