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player ready...Julio Franco, a lifetime .300 hitter, was signing autographs at the recent SoxFest, very serious as he went about his business. Suddenly, he was smiling. He had been asked if he would like having Frank Thomas as a teammate.
Franco said he was certain it would be an enjoyable and beneficial association.
“But he gets a lot of walks,” the fan said.
“I know,” Franco replied. “That’s very good. And when I see him, I’m going to tell him, `Frank, don’t swing. I want to get more RBIs.’ “
Franco, who signed with the White Sox as a free agent, will be beginning his 12th major-league season. He won the 1991 American League batting championship with a .341 average and is best described as a “professional hitter”-a man capable of hitting the best pitchers.
Still, he has never had a 100-RBI season.
This could be the year, and to a considerable extent his success would be linked to Thomas’ walks. Over the last three seasons, “the Big Hurt” has averaged 124 walks. He’s the first player to draw 100 or more walks in his first three seasons since Babe Ruth became a position player in 1919.
“I’ll like hitting behind Frank,” Franco said.
This is assuming Franco bats cleanup. The last time the subject was discussed, manager Gene Lamont indicated he hadn’t decided on his batting order. “It depends how the bottom of our lineup produces,” Lamont said.
Clearly, Lamont isn’t too keen on stacking his best hitters at the top. Ideally, another strong left-handed batter, such as Rafael Palmeiro, would have balanced the Sox lineup, but there is this saver: Thomas and Franco, though they bat right-handed, are effective against right-handed pitchers. Thomas has a .306 lifetime average against righties, Franco .307.
I’m not about to make out Lamont’s lineup. That’s his job, not mine. But it seems likely that the batting order, from 1 through 4, will be Tim Raines, Robin Ventura, Thomas and Franco, with Darrin Jackson hitting fifth.
Some fans have been critical of Thomas because of his insistence that he hit in the third spot. Obviously, some fans believe a club’s primary power hitter should bat cleanup.
However, it is generally acknowledged that the best hitter-and there is absolutely no doubt Thomas is the best hitter-should bat third. Babe Ruth batted third. So did Rogers Hornsby, regarded as the best right-handed hitter in history. Willie Mays and Stan Musial also hit third.
It would be difficult to check, but Ted Williams probably batted third as often as fourth. In 1941, when he batted .406, Williams hit third the first half, ahead of Joe Cronin, but they switched in July. On the last day of the season, when Williams went 6 for 8 in a double-header, he batted fourth.
Hank Aaron, a high average hitter as well as the all-time home run champion, usually batted fourth behind Eddie Mathews, who was much-underrated. But when Bobby Bragan managed the Braves, he often had Mathews as his No. 2 hitter, with Aaron third.
Joe DiMaggio, early in his career, batted third ahead of Lou Gehrig. As for Gehrig, he didn’t always bat fourth behind Babe Ruth. In the beginning, Gehrig hit fifth. Bob Meusel was then the Yankees’ No. 4 hitter.
Above all, every lineup reflects a team’s individual offensive strength, For example, when he broke Ruth’s one-season home run record, Roger Maris batted third, ahead of Mickey Mantle. Mantle was the better and certainly the more dangerous hitter.
It was sometimes said that Maris might not have had his heroic 61-homer season if Mantle had not been hitting behind him. The best evidence that Mantle supplied Maris with superb “protection” is that Maris went through that entire season without an intentional walk; no pitcher purposely walked him to get to Mantle.
Mays, a great hitter and great all-around player, was fortunate to have had Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda hitting behind him. McCovey still holds the one-season record for intentional passes, 45, in 1969, only because the Giants were unable to support him with a strong No. 5 hitter.
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Franco, indeed, should enjoy the season ahead with the White Sox. But his success also will depend on the batter behind him.