MLB Managers Analyze Viral ‘MVP Baseball’ Lineup: ‘Alex Cora Shouldn’t Be Hitting Fourth’

“I’m probably the worst hitter—well, Hinch was a bad hitter.”

MLB teams’ trend toward hiring younger managers means a lot of things. Least importantly, it means that nine managers currently in charge of big league clubs are young enough to have been players included in the classic video game “MVP Baseball 2005.”

In October, a Reddit user fired up MVP 05 and created a lineup comprised entirely of current managers. At the winter meetings, Yahoo Sports caught up with many of those managers to get their thoughts on the lineup and how they would construct a batting order if they were in charge.

The skippers all make fair points. There’s absolutely no excuse for having Alex Cora, who by OPS+ only had one offensive season better than league average, hitting cleanup. Cora himself had to admit that. 

“I can’t hit fourth,” Cora said. “I’m probably the worst hitter—well, Hinch was a bad hitter.”

He’s right. AJ Hinch, who’s slotted in here as the designated hitter, had a career OPS+ of 65!

Aaron Boone and Gabe Kapler are easily two of the three best hitters in that lineup (along with Rocco Baldelli) and they’re batting sixth and seventh! Just tons of question marks up and down the card here. 

One thing is for sure, everyone in that lineup is better at managing than the guy who put it on Reddit.