While it may seem crazy at first to envision Placido Polanco in the 5th hole, think about how nice it would be to have a career .303 hitter hitting behind Ryan Howard. Although Polanco has always been a number 2 hitter, I think he may have what it takes to be a solid 5th spot hitter. Pros: Polanco knows how to do the little things to win games. He can hit the ball wherever he wants in order to move the runners along. Having a guy that truly understands the game in the 5th spot could really benefit the Phillies in the long run. Less runners would be stranded and more runs would be potentially scored for the Phils as a result. Also his high career average of .303 has to bode well for him. A guy that is going to put the ball in play and hit for a high average is a guy I want hitting 5th on my team. Also Polanco is a right handed batter and having him bat behind the lefty Howard could also help the Phillies.
Cons: Polanco is one of the best 2 hole hitters in all of baseball and taking him away from his position could hurt his overall production. Also Polanco is a small ball kind of player different from the power type hitter that a team normally wants in the 5th spot.
Polanco is a guy that can get runners over and get guys into scoring position. I think it would be best to leave him in his natural 2 hole position where he can do the little things to help this team win. Still, Charlie should at the very least consider Polanco as he is one of the best hitters on this team.
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