Baseball position
In baseball, a
cleanup hitter
is the fourth hitter in the
batting order
. The cleanup hitter is traditionally the team's most powerful hitter. His job is to "clean up the bases", that is,
drive in base runners
.
[1]
Theory
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The thinking behind the use of the cleanup hitter is that at least one of the batters before him will reach
base
somehow, usually via a
walk
or a
base hit
. Traditionally, the
lead off hitter
, the number one spot in the batting order, has good foot speed,
plate discipline
, and a high
on-base percentage
. The second batter is usually a
contact hitter
, meaning he is able to consistently make contact with the ball and put it in play to move base runners forward and into
scoring position
. The first or second batter might
bunt
his way on base as they both will be speedy runners. The third batter is usually the best batter, the hitter with the highest batting average. He has the role of scoring runs himself, but his job comes down to getting on base for the cleanup hitter to have a turn to bat in the same inning. The cleanup hitter coming up to hit?if he has runners on base?has the opportunity to produce runs by getting a base hit or a
home run
. The third and fourth batters tend to be interchangeable in the batting order. The fifth batter in the lineup also has the job of batting in runs, in effect a backup for the cleanup hitter. He shares multiple traits with the cleanup hitter and therefore can compete for the cleanup hitter's spot in the batting order. Batters six to nine typically descend in batting skill level, meaning that the ninth batter is often the least effective batter in the lineup.
[2]
Trends
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Each individual hitter's strengths and weaknesses determine their spot on the daily lineup card. As the number four hitter's primary responsibility is to
turn base runners into runs
, a hitter with a high
slugging percentage
and batting average, especially with runners in scoring position, is generally preferred to the higher
on-base percentage (OBP)
and low strikeout rates of hitters earlier in the lineup. A manager may also take into account a batters tendency to hit in
clutch
situations or focus on home run ability. Since the home run is by far the most sure-fire method of batting in baserunners, the annual
Home Run Derby
tends to be a who's who of cleanup hitters from around the league.
[3]
That being said, a hitter with an unspectacular home run rate who is instead reliable when it comes to extra-base hits can also be a valuable tool for scoring with
runners in scoring position (RISP)
. It is ultimately a question of how well a player fits into the rest of the lineup which determines the run-scoring potential of the cleanup spot.
Designated Hitter
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The
designated hitter (DH)
is a batter that hits for the
pitcher
and never plays defense. The DH is important because the DH is usually one of the better hitters. It is a trend that the DH is either in the third, fourth, or fifth spot in the lineup. The DH was adopted by the
American League
of North American Major League Baseball in 1973 and by the
National League
in 2022. In games without a DH, the pitcher hit in the lineup unless another player
pinch hit
for the pitcher, in which case the pitcher left the game and was replaced for the team's next defensive half-inning.
[4]
Between 1973 and 2022, when there were
interleague games
and the National League was the home team, the American League team did not use a DH, and their pitchers took their turn at bat.
Records
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Most runs batted in as cleanup hitter
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Below is a list of Major League Baseball players with the most
runs batted in
(RBI) from the cleanup spot as of the end of the 2020 season.
[5]
Rank
|
Player
|
RBI
|
1
|
Lou Gehrig
*
|
1,515
|
2
|
Eddie Murray
*
|
1,340
|
3
|
Fred McGriff
*
|
1,224
|
4
|
Manny Ramirez
|
1,215
|
5
|
Joe DiMaggio
*
|
1,207
|
6
|
Al Simmons
*
|
1,206
|
7
|
Albert Belle
|
1,184
|
8
|
Jim Bottomley
*
|
1,167
|
9
|
Willie Stargell
*
|
1,131
|
10
|
Carlos Delgado
|
1,112
|
Most games played as cleanup hitter
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Below is a list of Major League Baseball players with the most games played in the cleanup spot as of the end of the 2020 season.
[5]
Rank
|
Player
|
G
|
1
|
Eddie Murray
*
|
2,041
|
2
|
Fred McGriff
*
|
1,826
|
3
|
Honus Wagner
*
|
1,812
|
4
|
Willie McCovey
*
|
1,622
|
5
|
Lou Gehrig
*
|
1,545
|
6
|
Willie Stargell
*
|
1,535
|
7
|
Jim Bottomley
*
|
1,525
|
8
|
Greg Luzinski
|
1,521
|
9
|
Dave Winfield
*
|
1,484
|
10
|
Nap Lajoie
*
|
1,458
|
Most plate appearances as cleanup hitter
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Below is a list of Major League Baseball players with the most
plate appearances
from the cleanup spot as of the end of the 2020 season.
[5]
Rank
|
Player
|
PA
|
1
|
Eddie Murray
*
|
8,775
|
2
|
Fred McGriff
*
|
7,777
|
3
|
Honus Wagner
*
|
7,708
|
4
|
Lou Gehrig
*
|
7,004
|
5
|
Jim Bottomley
*
|
6,742
|
6
|
Willie McCovey
*
|
6,659
|
7
|
Willie Stargell
*
|
6,545
|
8
|
Greg Luzinski
|
6,477
|
9
|
Dave Winfield
*
|
6,351
|
10
|
Albert Belle
|
6,332
|
References
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