Spring training was fairly uneventful for the Bucs. There were some promising performances from some youngsters (Ryan Doumit, I am looking at you) and some uninspiring performances from some veterans (so long, Mr. Grieve). There were also some bumps and bruises, but for the most part the team managed to reach the end of spring without any major injuries. Just when it looked like the team would start the season without incident, manager Lloyd McClendon had to go and drop a bombshell onto the heads of the Pirate faithful: Tike Redman would likely bat third to start the season.

Like most fans, I had just about finished conditioning myself to the fact that Tike would actually be playing, let alone playing an important role for this team. During the off-season, I had hopes that someone would be brought in that would move Tike to the bench. It didn't happen. To his credit, Tike put forth a decent spring training. He put up a solid spring batting average and was reportedly showing better instincts in the field. The former was probably applicable to the small sample size, while the latter could be chalked up to typical spring optimism. But what the hell, I can play along. But despite these small concessions, the fact of the matter is that nothing happened to make anyone believe that Tike wasn't still Tike.

That's what makes McClendon's announcement about Tike batting third so odd. He never profiled like a guy that could hit third. In fact, he has done nothing to suggest he should be hitting anywhere other than at the bottom of the lineup. In four major league seasons, Tike has a respectable .286 batting average. However his career OBP is a mere .319, indicating that Tike has yet to find a way to get on base other than getting a hit. Worse yet, his career .394 slugging percentage indicates that he is, at best, a punch and judy hitter.

The optimists among us might suggest that perhaps Tike is on the verge of some kind of breakout. He just turned 28 and that is an age that many players blossom. Perhaps, but I am not expecting any kind of career surge from the guy. His career minor league numbers are remarkably similar to what he has produced thus far in the majors (.269 BA, .330 OBP, .374 SLG in 7 minor league seasons). I think that with a lot of players, what you see is what you get, and Tike is one of those players.

For a long time, the organization seemed determined to prove that Tike was a leadoff guy. This was mainly due to the outdated perception that speed was the essential ingredient for a leadoff hitter. McClendon finally seemed to abandon this notion after Tike got off to a horrible start last season. McClendon moved him down in the order and he seemed to produce (relatively speaking). With the acquisition of Matt Lawton, the idea of batting Tike leadoff was a non-issue. But if he doesn't bat leadoff, just where should he bat? He doesn't really fit anywhere in the lineup (one of the reasons I was hoping that he would have been forced to the bench this spring). If he's going to be in there, he should be hitting towards the bottom of it. Unfortunately, the Bucs have a number of guys who fit that bill. In addition to Tike, Ty Wigginton, Benito Santiago and Jose Castillo all have to bat somewhere in the lineup and they all can't bat seventh and eighth.

Putting together the best lineup utilizing the talent the Pirates have available is reminiscent of one of those brain teasers. You know the kind. At face value it seems deceptively simple, but the more you work it, the more maddening it becomes. Apparently, working with this particular brain teaser has knocked a few of McClendon's screws loose. It's the only explanation I can give for even considering batting Redman third. There is just no logic in putting a guy like Redman in the heart of a batting order. The only thing I can figure is that he feared a lineup that would have Ty Wigginton or Benito Santiago batting fifth. I would agree with that fear, but solving it by putting Tike third strikes me as a destructive solution. It's almost like jamming a knitting needle up your nose to stop it from running.

I would be interested to know how many teams have batted a guy with career .713 OPS third for any extended length of time. And if such a case exists, I wonder what that team's record was over that span. I can't imagine it was too good. That's what we are looking at here. Lineups are made to be changed, and it's still possible that the "Great Tike Experiment" will be a short one. I hope so, otherwise it feels like it may be another long season.