"Dunn is batting .213 with men on base this season. I love Dunn, but he's a rally killer most of the time."

Dunn is hitting .252 with runners on, .379 on base, .613 slugging. That does not kill rallies. Outs kill rallies, as do double plays.

.801 OPS with RISP
1st in MLB in HR
4th in MLB in RBI
19th in MLB in R

"rally killer"

It's not a good idea to have someone hitting around .210 in the 3 spot. Moving Dunn to the 5 spot is not a bad idea at all. Give it a try at least.

I think pretty much everyone agrees on this, whether they are involved with the Sox or not. And yet, nothing changes.

Uh, no, there are many of us on this board that disagree, as does Sox management.

Rios is a slugger with a poor on-base percentage. That defines a 5-6-7 hitter. If he doesn't get a hit, there is a lower chance that he'll get on base.

Dunn is a slugger with a high on-base percentage. That defines a 3-4 hitter. If he doesn't hit a home run, there is a higher chance that he'll get on base for Konerko and Rios to drive in.

Don't let one game dictate your thoughts...

Rios should be moved to the three spot, as Rios OBP is .345 and Dunn is .352 =tiny difference! Dunn makes Pauly lead off too much, Rios has speed needed in the 3 spot.
Switch the two in the order now and we are better off!
1 DeAza
2 Youk
3 Rios
4 PK
5 Dunn
6 Viciedo
7 AJ
8 Ramirez
9 Beckham

I was at the game last night in Minn and they put a stat on the board for Dunn that said: .122 BA with runners in scorring position and 2 outs in 2012. That my friends IS a rally killer! I like his hr's too but im not a fan of the dunn/thome type hitters. Rios at least drives the ball hard instead of k's and pop ups.

if you move him to 5 you have three righties at 2 , 3 and 4..i hate not having lefty power in the middle of the line up..youkilis is benefitting tremendously from dunn in the 3 spot..he has 22 rbi in just over 100 at bats..out of the 2 spot...a pitcher seeing dunn in the on deck circle has to account for a few of the rbi

It's fine if you aren't a fan of the "style" of getting on base and hitting for power, but that doesn't really matter. Batting order is pretty much meaningless anyway.

You are correct that Rios OBP is close to Dunn's right now, but it's b/c of his batting average, not b/c he can take a walk (4.4% walk rate versus Dunn's 17.6%). That is a huge part of how you line up your players.

I hardly think a sample of 42 AB's is enough to label someone a rally killer.

Runners on - 159 AB's, .968 OPS
RISP - 94 AB's, .801 OPS
1st in MLB in HR
4th in MLB in RBI
19th in MLB in R

Yes he does have poor stats with RISP and two outs, however considering he has strong production in almost all other splits, I think we can overlook 42 AB's where he's hasn't put up strong production.

That is an insane OPS with runners on. What is even funnier is, people will complain that his OPS should be better with runners in scoring position, despite the fact that it is more beneficial to hit for that extra power with a runner at first than a runner at second. It allows more opportunities to score a guy from first. Although, I'm sure the difference is mostly in walks.

Agreed. Runners on and he keeps the ball rolling hard. Is that not maintaining a rally? Apparently, 42 AB's with RISP with 2 outs is what defines a hitter's ability to aid a rally. I understand that people don't like Dunn's all or nothing AB's, however to suggest that he's been a rally killer in 2012 is ignoring a lot of evidence to the contrary.

but he is hitting .500 with RISP in night games on days that start with a T and the opposing pitcher has facial hair.

Have always thought Dunn fits better as a 5th batter than he does 3rd.
Early this season though, I wasn't sure who could take 3rd if it's not him or Konerko.. Rios has lately shown it could/should be him.

Uh-oh, you've done (Dunn) it now. He's well-loved by some unidentified people on this site. Makes too much sense to get done. Hope these U.I.P's don't devastate you, as well, with examples and examples of Dunn's greatness. You see, batting average doesn't matter anymore; leaving people on base doesn't matter. Hitting a long boomer over the CF wall with no one on, and the game not on the line, is far more important. Trust me, they'll convince you, too.- Charley

Perfect order- agreed!!

We know Ceb. The 20 home runs Dunn has hit in close and tie games are meaningless, the Royals will pass the Sox any day now like you predicted, and it is all futile because this division will be won Cleveland.

Don't forget how the Sox are just an injury or two away from 70 wins.