The A-Rod Shuffle

With the return of Alex Rodriguez to the Yankees lineup, that means a change has to be made in the order. No one knows what the binder will come up with but there are a few options for the skipper. Here is what lineup I would go with:

vs. RHP:
Gardner - 7
Jeter - 6
Granderson - 8
Rodriguez - 5/DH
Teixeira - 3
Cano - 4
Swisher - 9
Posada/Chavez - DH/5
Martin - 2

vs. LHP:
Jeter - 6/DH
Granderson - 8
Rodriguez - 5/DH
Teixeira - 3
Cano - 4
Swisher - 9
Jones - DH/7
Martin - 2
Gardner/Nunez - 7/5 or 6

Doug Glanville on ESPN just said that he would slot A-Rod into the 6-hole. I think that idea is preposterous. This isn't the 2006 A-Rod, this is the new and surgically improved A-Rod. I would keep the lineup very similar whether a lefty or righty is on the hill in order to allow the players to feel comfortable who is batting in front of them and behind them. That builds strong teams. Against righties Gardy leads off and if a lefty is on the bump he is dropped to 9 - however if it is a really tough lefty Nunie gets the nod in the lineup shifting A-Rod or Jeter to the DH. I would bat Tex after ARod and then Cano. That way, an opposing manager cannot use a lefty specialist to go through Grandy and Cano without going through ARod and Tex - a pair of powerful right handed bats against lefties. Then the obvious move is to have a platoon at DH. Jones against lefties and either Posada or Chavez against righties (depending on what regular needs to DH and other idiosyncracies like that). Just a reminder, the specifics can change depending on injuries, days off and other unforseen events but this is what my fully rested and healthy lineup would look like. Any opinions?