04/21/2026 6:40p EDT Milwaukee Brewers at Detroit Tigers

[Tiger337]

11 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

So "best hitter" could change from game to game, depending on the matchup? And managers have a secret formula that no fan knows about that determines his line-up? Uhhh...ohhhh kayyy...alternate universe calling. 🤣🤣

I would guess statisticians give Hinch suggestions for line-ups or match-ups based on data.  Hinch probably considers them, but makes adjustments based on things that don't necessarily show up in statistics.  I don't really know, but that would seem to be the ideal way.  

[Sports_Freak]

1 hour ago, Tiger337 said:

I would guess statisticians give Hinch suggestions for line-ups or match-ups based on data.  Hinch probably considers them, but makes adjustments based on things that don't necessarily show up in statistics.  I don't really know, but that would seem to be the ideal way.  

I guess the use of the "best hitter" term confuses me. Back in 2024, Hinch used Riley at leadoff for some games. I got tired of seeing him come to bat with the bases empty after our pathetic 7, 8 and 9 hitters made outs. When I questioned Hinch for using Riley at leadoff, the response I got in MTS was Hinch wanted his best hitter to get the most at bats. That never made sense to me and I think the Tigers took off and made the playoffs after Riley was moved down in the order. At least, I think so. I didn't look up the stats. But I guess all the responses I got here in MTS about a teams best hitter leading off were all wrong. Its starting to make sense now, I was right and didnt even know it  🤣🤣

[Tiger337]

5 hours ago, Sports_Freak said:

I guess the use of the "best hitter" term confuses me. Back in 2024, Hinch used Riley at leadoff for some games. I got tired of seeing him come to bat with the bases empty after our pathetic 7, 8 and 9 hitters made outs. When I questioned Hinch for using Riley at leadoff, the response I got in MTS was Hinch wanted his best hitter to get the most at bats. That never made sense to me and I think the Tigers took off and made the playoffs after Riley was moved down in the order. At least, I think so. I didn't look up the stats. But I guess all the responses I got here in MTS about a teams best hitter leading off were all wrong. Its starting to make sense now, I was right and didnt even know it  🤣🤣

So, who was their best hitter last year and where should he have batted?

[Sports_Freak]

26 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

So, who was their best hitter last year and where should he have batted?

There's no such thing as a stat called "best hitter." Most power? Best batting average? Define "best hitter." I'm sure stat guys have a super duper secret formula to define one but the average fan only watches the games and enjoys wins. And hates losses...

[4hzglory]

6 hours ago, Sports_Freak said:

I guess the use of the "best hitter" term confuses me. Back in 2024, Hinch used Riley at leadoff for some games. I got tired of seeing him come to bat with the bases empty after our pathetic 7, 8 and 9 hitters made outs. When I questioned Hinch for using Riley at leadoff, the response I got in MTS was Hinch wanted his best hitter to get the most at bats. That never made sense to me and I think the Tigers took off and made the playoffs after Riley was moved down in the order. At least, I think so. I didn't look up the stats. But I guess all the responses I got here in MTS about a teams best hitter leading off were all wrong. Its starting to make sense now, I was right and didnt even know it  🤣🤣

Riley batted leadoff twice in 2025.   Kerry hit leadoff 41 games-maybe he’s who you were thinking of.

[Shelton]

3 minutes ago, 4hzglory said:

Riley batted leadoff twice in 2025.   Kerry hit leadoff 41 games-maybe he’s who you were thinking of.

He was almost certainly thinking of Kerry. And the “maximize the ABs” argument was because of the platoon issue and teams starting to bring in lefties to face him, so it would force an early decision onto the other team if they wanted to avoid giving Kerry a third AB against a RH starter.
 

Riley leadoff discourse was never a thing. 

[Shelton]

39 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

There's no such thing as a stat called "best hitter." Most power? Best batting average? Define "best hitter." I'm sure stat guys have a super duper secret formula to define one but the average fan only watches the games and enjoys wins. And hates losses...

What do you enjoy?

[Tiger337]

39 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

There's no such thing as a stat called "best hitter." Most power? Best batting average? Define "best hitter." I'm sure stat guys have a super duper secret formula to define one but the average fan only watches the games and enjoys wins. And hates losses...

The best hitter on a team is the one who contributes the most to team runs scored.  It could be wOBA or OPS+ or something similar.  If you wanted a cumulative stat for the entire season, maybe wRC.  If someone is an average fan who doesn't care about analyzing, that is fine.  But if someone tells me that the best hitter should bat third, or primarily uses batting average to judge a hitter, then they will get an argument.  

[Sports_Freak]

1 hour ago, Tiger337 said:

The best hitter on a team is the one who contributes the most to team runs scored.  It could be wOBA or OPS+ or something similar.  If you wanted a cumulative stat for the entire season, maybe wRC.  If someone is an average fan who doesn't care about analyzing, that is fine.  But if someone tells me that the best hitter should bat third, or primarily uses batting average to judge a hitter, then they will get an argument.  

And if someone tells me Hinch has a secret formula to make out his batting order, I'll tell them they're delusional. There is no stat that defines "the best" hitter. Some guy i never heard of wrote a book that clearly claims his opinion on how to create a lineup. I don't care. Just put all the good hitters in the first 6 spots or so. In a perfect world, all the hitters would have different stats that are the best on the team. It's exactly why I didn't like Riley leading off a couple of years ago. He was one of our better hitters at the time and he was constantly coming up with nobody on base. Many of his hits were wasted.

[Sports_Freak]

1 hour ago, Shelton said:

What do you enjoy?

Watching my favorite teams win. I get kinda grouchy when they lose. 😄

[Sports_Freak]

1 hour ago, Shelton said:

He was almost certainly thinking of Kerry. And the “maximize the ABs” argument was because of the platoon issue and teams starting to bring in lefties to face him, so it would force an early decision onto the other team if they wanted to avoid giving Kerry a third AB against a RH starter.
 

Riley leadoff discourse was never a thing. 

In 2024? Riley led off quite a bit.

[Sports_Freak]

8 hours ago, Sports_Freak said:

I guess the use of the "best hitter" term confuses me. Back in 2024, Hinch used Riley at leadoff for some games. I got tired of seeing him come to bat with the bases empty after our pathetic 7, 8 and 9 hitters made outs. When I questioned Hinch for using Riley at leadoff, the response I got in MTS was Hinch wanted his best hitter to get the most at bats. That never made sense to me and I think the Tigers took off and made the playoffs after Riley was moved down in the order. At least, I think so. I didn't look up the stats. But I guess all the responses I got here in MTS about a teams best hitter leading off were all wrong. Its starting to make sense now, I was right and didnt even know it  🤣🤣

 

1 hour ago, 4hzglory said:

Riley batted leadoff twice in 2025.   Kerry hit leadoff 41 games-maybe he’s who you were thinking of.

I was talking about 2024, not last year.

[Sports_Freak]

Riley had 117 at bats leading off in 2024;

 

https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/splits/_/id/42179/year/2024/category/batting

[Tiger337]

29 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

And if someone tells me Hinch has a secret formula to make out his batting order, I'll tell them they're delusional. There is no stat that defines "the best" hitter. Some guy i never heard of wrote a book that clearly claims his opinion on how to create a lineup. I don't care. Just put all the good hitters in the first 6 spots or so. In a perfect world, all the hitters would have different stats that are the best on the team. It's exactly why I didn't like Riley leading off a couple of years ago. He was one of our better hitters at the time and he was constantly coming up with nobody on base. Many of his hits were wasted.

Maybe they should hire you as manager.  They will never have dumb line-ups anymore.  

[lordstanley]

Reading Jason Beck's game wrap on MLB.com, I was struck more than ever by how much of baseball descriptions would sound completely foreign to a visitor from 2005, maybe 2010 or 2015.  I bolded all the relatively recent additions. Not saying it's good or bad, it just is. 

https://www.mlb.com/news/spencer-torkelson-hits-first-2026-homer-tigers-beat-brewers?game_pk=824286

DETROIT -- The metrics suggested Spencer Torkelson’s first home run of the year was coming. He was waiting for his pitch and hitting the ball hard; he just wasn’t hitting the ball far … or far enough. Then came Chad Patrick’s sinker, which Torkelson lined over Comerica Park’s left-field fence for a two-run homer that gave Detroit the lead for good in a 5-2 win over the Brewers on Wednesday night.

Torkelson’s first home run since Sept. 20 of last year had seemingly been imminent, at least looking at his Baseball Savant page awash in red and pink for above-average data entering Wednesday. His elite chase rate (97th percentile) and walk rate (93rd percentile) entering showed a patient approach, even as his strikeout rate climbed to a career-high 30.2 percent. His bat speed, hard-hit rate and sweet-spot rate are all up or comparable to last year, showing he has been hitting balls capable of damage.

One big difference: Torkelson entered Wednesday batting just .225 with a .275 slugging percentage against fastballs, despite a higher average exit velocity of 93.1 miles per hour off the heater. His average launch angle against fastballs, however, had dropped from 22 degrees last year to 16 so far this season.

Torkelson seemed headed for the same fate Wednesday. After laying off changeups to draw a 3-1 count in his first at-bat, he got a 93.4 mph sinker from Brewers lefty opener DL Hall and crushed it on a line to left. The 106.2 mph exit velocity was his highest of the season up to that point. But the 18-degree launch angle sent it to Brewers left fielder Brandon Lockridge for the first out of the second inning. It was Torkelson’s 13th ball with a triple-digit exit velocity this season, but just three had gone for hits.

Two innings later, Torkelson stepped to the plate against Patrick, who entered his bulk assignment Wednesday with just a 12 percent strikeout rate this season but a mere .152 average (5-for-33) against right-handed hitters. He had succeeded this year by attacking righty hitters with fastballs (84.5 percent of his pitches had been four-seamers, sinkers or cutters) on the outer half of the plate.

Again, Torkelson worked into a favorable count by laying off pitches out of the zone. Patrick spotted a 2-0 cutter on the outside corner that Torkelson fouled off. Patrick’s 2-1 sinker wandered over the middle, and Torkelson crushed it. The 106.4 mph exit velocity was even harder than his first at-bat, but his 24-degree launch angle was higher, allowing him to send it over the bullpen and to the front row of the left-field seats.

Kevin McGonigle’s RBI double in the fifth inning and Colt Keith’s RBI single two batters later provided add-on runs in support of Casey Mize (2-1), who held Milwaukee’s opportunistic offense to a run on three hits over six-plus innings with three walks and seven strikeouts.

 

 

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[Sports_Freak]

10 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

Maybe they should hire you as manager.  They will never have dumb line-ups anymore.  

Wow...you love starting flame wars. I'm done...

[Sports_Freak]

On 4/21/2026 at 5:09 PM, Sports_Freak said:

He's been pretty hot. I think the bigger deal is Kevin moved to the 3 hole, a good run producing spot. Smart move.

Here, I'll fix this to make the MTS resident expert happy. McGonigle was moved up to the 3 hole in the line up. A very good spot for a good hitter.

Better?

[Tiger337]

13 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

Wow...you love starting flame wars. I'm done...

I don't even know what we are arguing about anymore anway, so fine.