Who's gonna comeback???

Take a look at Jason's article, Hopefully we can get a few of these people back...



Sunday, February 25th, 2007...11:57 am
Rebuilding the lineup
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We’ve already discussed the rotation and the challenge of finding good pitching. Today, we’ll look at the lineup. Everyone knows the Atlantic League primarily belongs to the hitters and Clipper Magazine Stadium is a left-handed batters paradise. What else is there to know?
The Barnstormers scored 694 runs or 5.5 a game last season. They ranked second in the league behind Long Island. Bridgeport was the only other team to crack the 600-run mark at 637. The Barnstormers also hit 147 homers — 23 more than any rival — and drew a league-best 513 walks. In short, Lancaster hit for power and reached base better than anyone. This was a terrific offensive team.
Here was the lineup in the championship series against Bridgeport with on-base, slugging and OPS stats:
1. Reggie Taylor, CF: .395/.553/.948
2. Jason Bowers, SS: .352/.432/.784
3. Jeremy Todd, 1B: .444/.601/1.045
4. Jose Ortiz, 3B: .356/.497/.853
5. Eric Crozier, DH: .404/.476/.880
6. Jutt Hileman, LF: .327/.397/.724
7. Chris Van Rossum, RF: .330/.422/.752
8. Lance Burkhart, C: .339/.438/.777
9. Danny Gonzalez, 2B: .407/.449/.856
Some observations …
Todd was in another world. He led the team in on-base, slugging and his OPS was nearly 100 points higher than anyone else. Putting one supremely productive hitter into a lineup makes a dramatic difference. It can lift a weak-hitting team into the middle of the pack or it can take a good lineup and make it elite.
Crozier and Gonzalez were better than anyone seemed to realize. Gonzalez provided a .400 on-base percentage while rotating between SS and 2B. Crozier’s homer and RBI stats weren’t impressive, but his rate stats were excellent.
Once Quincy Foster left and Taylor moved into the leadoff role, the Barnstormers had the best No. 1 hitter in the league. With Taylor in front of Todd, they frequently pounced on pitchers when they were most vulnerable — in the first inning — and grabbed early leads. Scoring first is paramount to winning.
There was great balance. The Barnstormers could go lefty-righty all the way through with Gonzalez, a switch hitter, at the bottom.
Where do the Barnstormers stand for 2007? Well, they’re off to a great start because Todd is back. Burkhart is also expected to return. His .777 OPS is solid for a catcher, especially at this level. Hileman and Gonzalez are also strong possibilities to re-sign. Hileman could shift to CF and Gonzalez to SS, meaning the team has already filled its premium defensive positions.
What do the Barnstormers need?
Corner outfielder with power
Corner outfielder to hit leadoff
A third baseman to replace Ortiz (now in Mexico)
A second baseman to replace Travis Hake (now with York)
In an ideal world, the Barnstormers need one power lefty bat and one power righty bat. Even though they want to build their team for the Clip, they play 54 road games and will need to hit in places like Camden and Newark as well. A slugger to replace Ortiz’s production is essential.
Even though the Barnstormers only have one (announced) player under contract, they’re not in bad shape in terms of building their everyday lineup. But they still have a long way to go to match the group that took the field at the end of 2006. As the lineup above shows, that was the league’s best offense and it was the primary reason Lancaster won it all.