So is Tejada gonna lead off again? He scored 53 runs in
464 ABs. Kirk scored 40 in 282 ABs. I say Kirk is a better option.
He may not be ideal but he is a bit faster.

Toss a coin. If Kirk can get over striking out so much and be patient at the plate, he might be a better option. I do like Tejada, but he doesn't have the speed and stealing bases is not high on his tools list. Leadoff batter is important one AB a game, so we see how many people wind up occuping that space during the season. I've heard they might even try Murph there.

(In my best Stewie Griffin voice) oooo oooo I just love threads like this.... You don't say, after this one can we make one about which smells better, Hippo kr@p or Rino kr@p...
Speaking of kr@p diaper spill in row me, stat!

ok and?

You're on a roll!

at this point id even give cowgil the shot at lead off

I can see Cowgill and Kirk leading off. Kirk is fairly patient.
He just misses too much when he swings

ugh...that option just sickens me...

tejada is a rising player, he will bat leadoff for now.

murph leading off i doubt it. i think lineup will be tejada murph wright davis darnaud/buck duda cf platoon, rf platoon. rf rh platoon candidates ,brown,byrd. rf lh platoon candidates baxter. cf will likely platoon niewenhuiss/cowgill. valdespin is a lh platoon candidate for all 3 of positions. of those 6 players, i bet 5 make the team, barring injuries or trades. den dekker is a longshot. imo he should play everyday at AAA. if he rakes, he can be called up later.

I do not like Tejada as a leadoff batter.
I would rather have Kirk.
He will still strike out alot but hopefully his average will go up a bit, therefore his obp goes up.
Fairly good wheels and I personally like a leadoff batter that can slug a bit.

Tejada would be a good #2 hitter

98 ks in 1/2 a season of at bats with a .313 OBP doesn't strike me as a good lead off man.

I doubt Murph also. Just saying he was mentioned in the mix. Have to see who they go north with and then go from there. It will most likely be Tejada initially. If Kirk shows he has cut down on the Ks, maybe they move him up there. With Collins, the lineup may change on a daily basis and where they bat also. Only givens I see are Murph, Wright, Davis in the 2, 3, 4 slots. The rest musical chairs.

"98 ks in 1/2 a season of at bats with a .313 OBP doesn't strike me as a good lead off man."

Agreed.....that smells like # 8 to me.

Cowgill had a very respectable OBP in his minor league career of .371 and a low K rate of 16% with an 80% success rate on stealing bases 80sb/18cs.

If he can hit near .300 like he did in his minor league career he could be a good lead off man. I know some of his minor league years were in the PCL but he did well in AA at Mobile too.

when the batting average goes up then the OBP goes up.
This is assuming he bounces back from the rookie slump and figures it out a bit.
.260/.330 is not out of the question for Kirk.

You are always looking at 150Ks at least per 500 ABS though.

on a totally different note, if everyone is saying he is gonna start anyway, how about Mike Baxter?
He may be the most patient guy on the team

I think Cowgill is an interesting option IF he can put it together. Looking forward to seeing what he can do.

At this point in time, they should try anything that works. If Cowgill does the job in ST, then by all means, give him a shot at it. From the numbers you post on him (I'm not that familiar with him), he might just do it. Just have to see what he can do and hope Collins gives him a fair chance. If it improves the OF, leadoff batter slot, and the team, I'm all for it.

"Toss a coin. If Kirk can get over striking out so much and be patient at the plate, he might be a better option. I do like Tejada, but he doesn't have the speed and stealing bases is not high on his tools list. Leadoff batter is important one AB a game, so we see how many people wind up occuping that space during the season. I've heard they might even try Murph there."

This is what i was afraid of.