Now that he's had some time to think about his lineup, manager Mike Redmond said Saturday he's leaning toward having Giancarlo Stanton hit in the third spot rather than the clean-up position.
Redmond's reasoning:
"I'd like to see him come up in the first inning," Redmond said. "You think about other power hitters. Mark McGwire, he hit third."
Redmond cautioned that there's "nothing etched in stone" and he still might position Stanton in the fourth spot.
"Initially we were thinking the four hole, and it could still end up being the four hole," Redmond said. "But I'm leaning toward third at this point."
Stanton was used a bit in the 3 spot in 2011 (.279 with 9 home runs in 86 at bats) and by former manager Ozzie Guillen last year (.263 with 5 homers in 57 at bats), so it wouldn't exactly be a foreign experience to the Marlins' slugger.
Redmond is more certain about the top half of the lineup than he is the lower part of the order. He's penciling in Juan Pierre in the leadoff spot and projects Placido Polanco to bat second. But he is unsure about who to hit behind Stanton. Part of the decision hinges on whether first baseman Logan Morrison is ready to go when the season starts.
"Somebody's going to have an opportunity to hit behind him, so we've got to find somebody," he said.
