Another week, another Community Projection. This time, presumed cleanup hitter Pat Burrell.
I have very little to base this on, other than fervent hope, but I'm expecting a rather big year from Burrell. Maybe the rollback of the left field fence will hurt him, but I think very few of his homers to left were cheap. He's shown increasing plate discipline, which should help all aspects of his game. His month-to-month consistency in 2005 was remarkable (in his worst month, August, he posted an .855 OPS; in his best, April, a .955).
His home/road splits are troubling, but I think much of that can be attributed to the Phillies' severe road park factor.
AVG: .289
OBP: .390
SLG: .541
HR: 41
R: 98
RBI: 128
SB: 1
Anyway, post yours now.
I think the decision to bat Burrell fourth, and Utley/Howard 5th and 6th, would be a bad one. I suspect that the only time lineup construction vis-a-vis lefty/righty issues only really comes into play late in games when lefty specialists are brought in to neutralize the likes of Abreu, Howard, and Utley. Leaving Utley and Howard, both of whom but particularly the latter have experienced difficulty with left-handed pitching, could prove problematic in both the long and short run. I'm open to dissenting views, however.