R.B.I. Baseball: Batting line-up analysis
The power rating data will help you determine which batters are safest to challenge, & which batters should be avoided in crucial situations. This will also help you decide which bench players are the most valuable pinch hitters. Each bench player gains a 64 point power bonus during his 1st at bat. The player ratings will help you make educated decisions throughout the game.
The original line-up doesn’t look too daunting, but Boston's subs are all about power. Get the big bats up to the plate as often as possible. Armas and Burks make a strong combo replacing Barrett and Buckner. Burks speed is best utilized batting 2nd. He's far less susceptible to the double play than Armas, and is well suited for this spot. Boggs is the only lefty worth noting. After working around the top 3, you will find the middle of the order is even more imposing.
Jim Rice, Don Baylor, and Dwight Evans are hard to navigate through as each batter possesses a homerun threat. Rich Gedman batting 7th even offers decent protection and prevents Evans from getting pitched around. To make the line-up more difficult, Henderson subs in for Owen in the 8th spot. This places a solid bat late in the order, and doesn't allow for the pitcher to coast through any part of the line-up.
Overview: The sheer power Boston has is staggering. Some slight them based on the lack of lefty bats, but once the subs are in place this is truly a murderers row from top to bottom. A dangerous line-up like this goes a long way to raising pitch counts as the opponent has to be exceedingly careful of almost every batter.
Jim Rice, Don Baylor, and Dwight Evans are hard to navigate through as each batter possesses a homerun threat. Rich Gedman batting 7th even offers decent protection and prevents Evans from getting pitched around. To make the line-up more difficult, Henderson subs in for Owen in the 8th spot. This places a solid bat late in the order, and doesn't allow for the pitcher to coast through any part of the line-up.
Overview: The sheer power Boston has is staggering. Some slight them based on the lack of lefty bats, but once the subs are in place this is truly a murderers row from top to bottom. A dangerous line-up like this goes a long way to raising pitch counts as the opponent has to be exceedingly careful of almost every batter.
Cal offers an interesting subbing situation. Gary Pettis is easily one of the most controversial R.B.I. players. He’s got a weak bat, but he’s a lefty with good speed. This often gets him an at-bat or 2 .
The heart of the order is fairly solid with DeCinces, Joyner, Jackson, & Downing. Only Jackson possesses elite power, but it’s still a formidable run of bats. From there the sub situations take center stage.
Ruppert Jones needs to get in the line-up! He’s a solid sub for Pettis or Grich. If you must have a lefty dominated line-up, he can replace Downing, but the power increase is minimal. Hendrick is a great fit in the 8 spot for Boone. This leaves Wilfong on the bench. He can be utilized a couple ways. Either at lead-off, or for his lefty bat in the bottom of the order depending on how you’ve subbed the others. Wilfong is a slight power downgrade from Boone, but a switch some will still make for the lefty bat.
Late in the game Burleson offers some pop with the pinch hit bonus, but doesn't really upgrade over anyone other than Boone, Wilfong, & the pitcher.
Overview: California with subs and it's righty/lefty mix is a real solid line-up. It lacks elite power, but has no weak areas for a pitcher to exploit.
The heart of the order is fairly solid with DeCinces, Joyner, Jackson, & Downing. Only Jackson possesses elite power, but it’s still a formidable run of bats. From there the sub situations take center stage.
Ruppert Jones needs to get in the line-up! He’s a solid sub for Pettis or Grich. If you must have a lefty dominated line-up, he can replace Downing, but the power increase is minimal. Hendrick is a great fit in the 8 spot for Boone. This leaves Wilfong on the bench. He can be utilized a couple ways. Either at lead-off, or for his lefty bat in the bottom of the order depending on how you’ve subbed the others. Wilfong is a slight power downgrade from Boone, but a switch some will still make for the lefty bat.
Late in the game Burleson offers some pop with the pinch hit bonus, but doesn't really upgrade over anyone other than Boone, Wilfong, & the pitcher.
Overview: California with subs and it's righty/lefty mix is a real solid line-up. It lacks elite power, but has no weak areas for a pitcher to exploit.
Detroit features a fairly potent offense. Its also very favorable if you like left handed batters. Alan Trammel & Kirk Gibson provide good speed to lead-off with. Darrell Evans is one the most feared hitters in the game, and Matt Nokes provides decent protection batting 4th.
After that Detroit has a consistent amount of power, but doesn't quite rival Boston or National League. Chet Lemon & Tom Brookens are dangerous, and there really isn't a weak link in the order. Subbing in Madlock for Herndon in the 5 spot is necessary.
A strength Detroit also has is the bench & how it can be utilized with late inning subs. When you add in the 64 point pinch hit power bonus, the 3 remaining bench players become very powerful in late game situations. Pat Sheridan can be an upgrade in power over 5 batters in the line-up. Heath can sub in for 4 starters & Bergman for 2. This gives Detroit solid options late in the game if a homerun is needed.
Overview: Detroit isn't the absolute best line-up, but ranks high, is very powerful & will provide plenty of fireworks in most games.
After that Detroit has a consistent amount of power, but doesn't quite rival Boston or National League. Chet Lemon & Tom Brookens are dangerous, and there really isn't a weak link in the order. Subbing in Madlock for Herndon in the 5 spot is necessary.
A strength Detroit also has is the bench & how it can be utilized with late inning subs. When you add in the 64 point pinch hit power bonus, the 3 remaining bench players become very powerful in late game situations. Pat Sheridan can be an upgrade in power over 5 batters in the line-up. Heath can sub in for 4 starters & Bergman for 2. This gives Detroit solid options late in the game if a homerun is needed.
Overview: Detroit isn't the absolute best line-up, but ranks high, is very powerful & will provide plenty of fireworks in most games.
Not much to address with Houston, considering they have the most power deficient line-up in the game. Houston does have speed on par with the Cardinals. Billy Hatcher & Jose Cruz are mainstays, & its imperative to sub in Davey Lopes 3rd. You need to try & string a couple hits together to score a run with that speed. Glen Davis is pretty much a non-factor as a clean up hitter. Bass in the 5th spot is a lefty bat with speed.
Phil Garner is a good option to sub for Doran. He's got a little speed & more power. Reynolds stays in & Ashby is typically subbed for Terry Puhl. When it comes to late subs, Dickie Thon & the pinch hit bonus works for everyone but Davis.
Overview: There's no power here. Wear the opponents pitchers down and try to take some chances on the basepaths.
Phil Garner is a good option to sub for Doran. He's got a little speed & more power. Reynolds stays in & Ashby is typically subbed for Terry Puhl. When it comes to late subs, Dickie Thon & the pinch hit bonus works for everyone but Davis.
Overview: There's no power here. Wear the opponents pitchers down and try to take some chances on the basepaths.
The Twins have an undervalued line-up. Dan Gladden has good speed at leadoff. Gary Gaetti has serious power & the duo of Kent Hrbek & Tom Brunansky gives Minnesota a nice set of bats in heart of the order.
Tim Laudner is a heavy hitter as well batting 7th. The power of Minnesota isn't great but its spread out nicely from top to bottom. Walking Laudner to get to Lombardozzi with the pitcher is not a bad idea in most situations. The Twins bench is fairly unspectacular, but Randy Bush is a decent bat with the pinch hit power bonus.
Overview: There's some power here, & a few late substitutions make this a very solid line-up. This line-up doesn't have the huge bats like Boston or the National League, but the power is there to hit some home runs.
Tim Laudner is a heavy hitter as well batting 7th. The power of Minnesota isn't great but its spread out nicely from top to bottom. Walking Laudner to get to Lombardozzi with the pitcher is not a bad idea in most situations. The Twins bench is fairly unspectacular, but Randy Bush is a decent bat with the pinch hit power bonus.
Overview: There's some power here, & a few late substitutions make this a very solid line-up. This line-up doesn't have the huge bats like Boston or the National League, but the power is there to hit some home runs.
New York's line-up need to overcome a power outage to have success. That rides on the performance of the speed at the top. Lenny Dykstra & Mookie Wilson need to provide the spark by reaching base & manufacture runs. You can’t rely on the long ball with the Mets.
Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, & Darryl Strawberry combine to create a decent, but not great power trio. One glaring issue for NY is Strawberry batting 5th. That hurts his chances to see the plate with Dykstra or Wilson on base.
Providing protection for Strawberry is essential. Wally Backman gets pulled in favor of Howard Johnson for an upgrade. Santana needs to be replaced by either Heep or Teufel. Knight could be replaced for a nominal power gain, but saving a batter for a late pinch hit situation is in your best interest. Lee Mazilli rounds out the bench. He brings a lefty bat to the plate & with the pinch hit power bonus can sub in for every player not named Hernandez, Carter, or Strawberry.
Overview: On rare occasions, baseballs are leaving the stadium & the Mets are racking up runs. Unfortunately most of the time you’ll need to string together a couple hits or manufacture a run by bunting a runner over.
Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, & Darryl Strawberry combine to create a decent, but not great power trio. One glaring issue for NY is Strawberry batting 5th. That hurts his chances to see the plate with Dykstra or Wilson on base.
Providing protection for Strawberry is essential. Wally Backman gets pulled in favor of Howard Johnson for an upgrade. Santana needs to be replaced by either Heep or Teufel. Knight could be replaced for a nominal power gain, but saving a batter for a late pinch hit situation is in your best interest. Lee Mazilli rounds out the bench. He brings a lefty bat to the plate & with the pinch hit power bonus can sub in for every player not named Hernandez, Carter, or Strawberry.
Overview: On rare occasions, baseballs are leaving the stadium & the Mets are racking up runs. Unfortunately most of the time you’ll need to string together a couple hits or manufacture a run by bunting a runner over.
The Giants line-up is somewhat under the radar. There's an element of consistency up & down the line-up with slightly above average power from top to bottom. The Giants lack that real "big time" dangerous hitter though. Kevin Mitchell, Jeffery Leonard, & Candy Maldonado provide some spark in the order batting 2nd, 3rd, & 4th.
Lefties Will Clark batting 5th & Chili Davis hitting 7th are two of the most feared hitters in terms of their spots in the order. The weak hitting Bob Brenly sitting between them offsets the threat, as he gives the pitcher a chance to coast between the two.
From the bench, Spilman offers a good upgrade in the leadoff spot, & Speier improves the 9 spot over the weak hitting Thompson. Those 2 definitely become dangerous with the pinch hit bonus power. Aldrete & Youngblood offer decent late game pinch hit upgrades over Spilman & Speier.
The Giants have the ability to score a decent amount of runs, but lack consistency & have to rely on their good pitching to win games.
Lefties Will Clark batting 5th & Chili Davis hitting 7th are two of the most feared hitters in terms of their spots in the order. The weak hitting Bob Brenly sitting between them offsets the threat, as he gives the pitcher a chance to coast between the two.
From the bench, Spilman offers a good upgrade in the leadoff spot, & Speier improves the 9 spot over the weak hitting Thompson. Those 2 definitely become dangerous with the pinch hit bonus power. Aldrete & Youngblood offer decent late game pinch hit upgrades over Spilman & Speier.
The Giants have the ability to score a decent amount of runs, but lack consistency & have to rely on their good pitching to win games.
Much like Houston, the Cardinals have very little on the power side. Vince Coleman, and Ozzie Smith need to get on for this offense to produce. Tommy Herr needs to get subbed for Jim Lindeman. Lindeman provides some power and forces the opponent to pitch to him with Jack Clark up next.
A smart player will walk Jack Clark EVERY time he comes to the plate! EVERY time, unless it will walk in the winning run. Willie McGee follows up with good speed, but non existent power. Curt Ford is a good guy to sub out. John Morris gives you more power, a lefty bat, & nearly the same speed.
When it comes to late game subs, its pretty much a free for all. Steve Lake & Jose Oquendo with the pinch hit power bonus will increase power for everyone but Clark & Lindeman.
Overview: Try to take the extra base on hits with the speed, & look to bunt runners over. Expect Jack Clark to get walked a lot.
A smart player will walk Jack Clark EVERY time he comes to the plate! EVERY time, unless it will walk in the winning run. Willie McGee follows up with good speed, but non existent power. Curt Ford is a good guy to sub out. John Morris gives you more power, a lefty bat, & nearly the same speed.
When it comes to late game subs, its pretty much a free for all. Steve Lake & Jose Oquendo with the pinch hit power bonus will increase power for everyone but Clark & Lindeman.
Overview: Try to take the extra base on hits with the speed, & look to bunt runners over. Expect Jack Clark to get walked a lot.
Substituting Mark McGwire for Randolph into the lead-off spot, gives the American League the most fearsome 1-4 in the game. Mattingly is a solid lefty, & the Bell/Canseco combo has elite power. Ripken in the 5 spot has decent power.
Unfortunately, the bottom of the order leaves a lot to be desired. Brett is a mainstay at the 7th spot. Schroeder is an easy targets to sub-out.
The bench is unspectacular, but offer good speed with Molitor & Franco. There's a couple different ways to utilize the bench. If you like lefty bats, Baines plays the duration until a pinch hit power bonus sub is necessary late. Another route to take has you sub out the 8 spot 3 times through to the game to get maximum power from that position. Ideally you can save Franco for a late situation to utilize his PH bonus power and good speed in the 7th or 8th spot.
Overview: The A.L. lacks consistent power from top to bottom making it difficult to score when the big bats are struggling. On the flip side, when the bottom half is hitting well, this line-up is very difficult to deal with.
Unfortunately, the bottom of the order leaves a lot to be desired. Brett is a mainstay at the 7th spot. Schroeder is an easy targets to sub-out.
The bench is unspectacular, but offer good speed with Molitor & Franco. There's a couple different ways to utilize the bench. If you like lefty bats, Baines plays the duration until a pinch hit power bonus sub is necessary late. Another route to take has you sub out the 8 spot 3 times through to the game to get maximum power from that position. Ideally you can save Franco for a late situation to utilize his PH bonus power and good speed in the 7th or 8th spot.
Overview: The A.L. lacks consistent power from top to bottom making it difficult to score when the big bats are struggling. On the flip side, when the bottom half is hitting well, this line-up is very difficult to deal with.
National League All Stars
Much like Boston, this line-up strikes fear into the heart of any pitching staff. Big bats and lots of em! Tim Raines is one of the greatest lead off hitters in R.B.I. Baseball. Raines has decent power, is a lefty, and very fast. Subbing in the big bats of Dale Murphy and Pedro Guerrero at the top for Ryne Sandberg and Benito Santiago really pumps up the power.
Andre Dawson, Eric Davis, and Mike Schmidt give you another trio of mashers. The 7 and 8 hitters offer little as Andres Galarraga and Pedrique don't produce much. Tony Gwynn's speed makes him a decent option in the 8th spot, and John Kruk in a pinch hitting role late has a little pop. Overall the National League's power is enough to win the game on its own.
Andre Dawson, Eric Davis, and Mike Schmidt give you another trio of mashers. The 7 and 8 hitters offer little as Andres Galarraga and Pedrique don't produce much. Tony Gwynn's speed makes him a decent option in the 8th spot, and John Kruk in a pinch hitting role late has a little pop. Overall the National League's power is enough to win the game on its own.
To visit the overall team pages click on one of the images below
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