If American runners were baseball players..........

hahaha holy shit you gotta be freakin kidding me. hahahaha wow

i think i would actually switch teg and lagat. You need speed at the leadoff spot, and tegenkamp, with his 6'10 frame, seems like he would be more of a 3 hitter anyway. Kind of a Derek Lee type guy.

What's with this pussy AL designated hitter shi*?!?

I figured Tegenkamp would be a more consistant base hitter with maybe not as much pop, so would be great at the leadoff position. Plus, he's a front runner, so he wouldn't be afraid to steal a base or two.

Lagat, on the other hand, would have plenty of experience in the third spot. He's faced all the pitchers, seen everything, and should be able to place the ball where he wants to move base runners around or go for power.

I can see it both ways though.

So gay

Meb is too short to be a pitcher unless he is a knuckleballer. Meb has to play in the infield, like Eckstein. Stick him at second. Abdi has the Oil Can Boyd physique. Let him pitch.

And the running-based logic of positioning in the original post still most holds.

The batting order needs work too.

Solinsky is the power hitting, low batting average first baseman. Lagat and Webb are the only true speedsters. One of them should lead off.

Batting order, position:

1. Bernard Lagat, SS

2. Matt Tegenkamp, CF

3. Alan Webb, 3B

4. Chris Solinsky, 1B

5. Daniel Lincoln, DH

6. Adam Goucher, C

7. Dathan Ritzenhein, LF

8. Galen Rupp, RF

9. Meb, 2B

switch alan and lagat. Webb has the young agility needed and third base is where ex-short stops go after they lose their quickness. Abdi is no 2nd baseman either, Pitcher or 1st base as a tall target.

This is an amazing thread, should belong on front page.

I am thinking Solinsky would have to be the catcher. Close call though.

I like Meb in the starting rotation. Lagat would also be a great utility guy. Goucher at catcher concerns me...too much time on the DL. It would be nice to see McDougal called up from AAA before the season is over.

Rupp in RF and Lincoln at DH??? Are you kidding me? The only person with a weaker arm then Rupp would be Culpepper! Switch 'em, Lincoln's more explosive and would have a much better cannon than Rupp.

When deciding positions and batting order, I was thinking of their running styles, running background, past results, etc. I didn't really think of it in physical terms. That would definitely make a big difference though.

Example: Abdi is probably too tall and lean to play second base, but he's a consistent runner and doesn't seem real flashy, so second would seem to fit him well.

Also, physically, I don't think Rupp would be able to throw the ball from right field to third base or that Goucher can hold up at catcher for an entire season, but those positions seemed to fit their running styles - Rupp isn't good enough to play center ahead of Tegenkamp or left ahead of Ritshein but seems to be an outfielder, and Goucher seems like the hard-nosed catcher.

Any other comments or sugestions?

I'm really thinking about getting this thing rolling!

Nick Symmonds could be a catcher, 1b or DH. I see some HR power in him.

This is the greatest thread of all time

We're gonna need some guys on that roster who can actually get the ball from the outfield to the cutoff man. Maybe Breaux Greer and his jav friends. How about someone like Godina at first. You don't need him to be mobile, you just need him to crush the ball when he's at the plate. And make sure you throw some decathletes on there, good mix of speed, power, flexibility, and agility

Oh I forgot, this is Letsrun, where the only track athletes are distance runners. I would love to see Ritz at the plate though. If he makes any kind of contact with that ball he's going to shatter.

Symmonds would be the better catcher. Who'd manage this motley crew? Razcko? How about Centrowitz, from what I hear he has a fiery attitude. Or Johnny Gray maybe, sly, like to try different approaches. If you take into account slightly past their prime guys, I'd have Jerry Lawson as a relief pitcher. Kinda in the Al "Mad Hungarian" Hrbrosky(?) mode.

As long as Andrew Carlson is doing the play-by-play, I'm there.

Also in center you'd need someone who can get a jump on the ball to the allies. Someone quick off the line, probably a 800 guy. Maybe Robinson, plus that's a solid baseball name.