2011 Lineup Variations

For the sake of making this post easier to digest (but not by you, Pablo!), let's make the following assumptions:

1. Pablo Sandoval has a spring training somewhere in between his 2009 and 2010 campaigns.
2. Brandon Belt is given the 1B job and Huff is moved to the outfield.
3. Buster Posey beats out Eli Whiteside for the catcher job.
4. Cody Ross is given the starting job and Pat Burrell is left to platoon and be the 4th outfielder
5. Mark DeRosa, until proven healthy, is treated as a super-sub.
6. The Hanley Ramirez for Aaron Rowand trade falls through.

As such, I would predict the following lineup:

1. Torres CF
2. Sanchez 2B
3. Huff LF
4. Posey C
5. Ross RF
6. Sandoval 3B
7. Tejada SS
8. Belt 1B

Here's my problem with this:
a) Sanchez really doesn't get on base enough to bat 2nd.
b) Posey is not a cleanup hitter, honestly.
c) It's all nice to say we're going to bat Brandon Belt 8th to keep the pressure off him, but who are we kidding? This guy's a stud.

So let's make a lineup based on how we want the team to be, not how we're afraid it might be or what worked last year when we were in the playoffs worrying about winning one game. Let's make a lineup that represents the future. Here's what I think that looks like:

1. Torres CF
2. Posey C
3. Belt 1B
4. Huff LF
5. Sandoval 3B
6. Ross RF
7. Sanchez 2B
8. Tejada SS

Or when Cain pitches:
8. Cain P
9. Tejada SS

What good is Tony LaRussa if we can't steal one of his two good ideas? (his other good idea is don't beat up your pet when you have a bad day at work)

Now, there's another thought, which is to bat the lineup by age, youngest to oldest:

1. Belt
2. Posey
3. Sandoval
4. Ross
5. Torres
6. Sanchez
7. Huff
8. Tejada

That's actually not that bad. Hmmm.

I'm looking at these names and I can't help but feel optimistic. Keep in mind some of our 2010 lineups.

Opening Day, for instance, featured John Bowker, Renteria, DeRosa, and Molina.
On April 20th, a 1-0 loss to the Padres, of course, we trotted out Velez in the leadoff spot, Whiteside at catcher, Bowker in left, and Schierholtz in right. Molina pinch-ran. No, wait, I think I read that wrong. Molina pinch-hit. That makes more sense.

How would you do the lineup? Post your choices below in the comment section.

And then check out this lineup, from Opening Day 2008, and rest easy knowing that none of the options above are really that bad.

San Francisco Giants	ab	r	h	rbi
Roberts lf	3	0	0	0
Velez 2b	4	1	1	0
Rowand cf	3	2	1	0
Molina c	4	1	2	3
Lewis rf	3	0	1	0
Castillo 3b	4	0	1	0
Aurilia 1b	2	0	0	0
Yabu p	0	0	0	0
Durham ph	1	0	0	0
Taschner p	0	0	0	0
Wilson p	0	0	0	0
Walker p	0	0	0	0
Winn ph	1	0	0	0
Bocock ss	3	0	0	0
Cain p	1	0	0	0
Ortmeier 1b	2	0	0	0
Totals	31	4	6	3