Boston Red Sox: Jackie Bradley thrives at bottom of the order

The numbers dictate that the Boston Red Sox should leave Jackie Bradley, Jr. at the bottom of the batting order, regardless of how well he’s hitting.

Most teams don’t have the luxury of batting an All-Star in the No. 9 spot, but the Boston Red Sox do. The best offense in baseball has a deep lineup filled with hitters that can produce in just about any spot, therefore logic dictates that they put their hitters in the best position for them to succeed.

For Jackie Bradley, that would mean sticking him at the bottom of the order.

The defensive wizard has had a breakout season at the plate, building on a strong end to last summer to prove that he is capable of contributing offensively at the major league level. A torrid May that included a 29-game hit streak vaulted him into the conversation of the league’s best outfielders as we wrapped up the first half of the season.

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As Bradley’s bat heated up, his production eventually earned him a higher spot in the lineup. While he deserved what many would view as a promotion, drifting toward the middle of the order wasn’t what turned out to be best for Bradley or the Red Sox.

His bat has cooled off significantly since the break, with the low point being a .198 average for the month of August. Bradley has always been a streaky hitter, but it was clear that adjustments needed to be made to get him back on track.

During the team’s last homestand the Red Sox moved Bradley back to the bottom of the order, where he spent most of his time earlier this season. Aside from the brief three game series in San Diego under National League rules, Bradley has hit either 8th or 9th in each game since the switch was made on August 27. In those games since, where he has hit at or near the bottom of the order, Bradley is 13-for-39 (.333) at the plate. He has homered twice during that span, including a three-run blast in Sunday’s win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Bradley is thriving since moving down in the order, which is nothing new for the 26-year old. He is hitting a scorching .358 with a 1.019 OPS over 123 at-bats hitting out of the nine hole this season. In a more limited sample from the No. 8 spot, Bradley is still hitting a spectacular .333 with a .944 OPS.

Bradley has hit in every spot in the lineup this season except for third. He resembles a superstar as long as he’s hitting low in the order, but the further he moves up the lineup the more his production declines.

Manager John Farrell needs to recognize this trend and keep Bradley where he is. Even if he gets hot again, the Red Sox need to resist the temptation to move him up in the order. Why mess with a good thing?

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The impending return of Andrew Benintendi could complicate this plan. Not only do the Red Sox want to limit the pressure on the young phenom by batting him low in the order, but they also like the spark plug that he provided from the No. 9 spot prior to suffering a knee injury that has sidelined him for the past few weeks. His speed at the bottom of the order can be utilized in a variety of ways ahead of the big bats at the top of the order.

That’s fine if Benintendi were to take the No. 9 spot, as Bradley has performed nearly as well batting 8th. If Farrell wants to swap the two of them, that works too, as long as they are both near the bottom of the order.

The tricky part is what Farrell decides to do when Sandy Leon isn’t in the lineup. The Red Sox are currently shuffling between three backup catchers behind Leon, none of whom can hit a lick. Typically you want to bury your weakest hitters at the bottom of the lineup, but the Red Sox would be better served batting Bradley behind their backup catchers in order to maximize his production.

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Lineups will vary depending on which catcher is in the lineup, or if Chris Young is starting ahead of Benintendi against a lefty. Regardless of how Farrell shuffles the order, he needs to leave Bradley in one of the bottom two spots where he has proven to be most successful.