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Using the TB Rays as a Case Study, and specifically looking at '08 and '10, what might we need in terms of bats, to be pretty dang successful.
Well:  It looks like you need two 130-ish bats in the everyday lineup and another part-timer at that level of production.  Then get 4 guys in the 100-105 OPS range, and you can be an offensive threat (of course).
The '10 Rays had Longoria at 143 and Crawford at 135.  Joyce, in 261 PA's, was at 132.
The '08 Rays had Pena at 129, Longoria at 127 and Zobrist, in 227 PA's at 120.
OK:  Extrapolate from there.  Can two guys from the list of Carp, Smoak, Montero, and Ackley whack in the 130 range?  In the current likely lineup configuration, they are the guys most capable of approaching that number.
Who is our super-bench bat? Jaso?  Wells?    Then you need Guti, Ichiro,Seager or Figgins (it sounds more and more like he's going to be a utility guy or the '12 M's, playing a fair amount) or  a couple of the above mentioned guys (maybe 5 guys total) to be in the 95-110 range.  Given the arms we have, that will be quite enough.  Tall order isn't it?  But, really, everybodyon that list has hinted at that level of production...well maybe except Jaso...and I ain't buying the Figgins rebirth. Is Liddi in the 3B hunt?  I would suspect not, if Figgins is kept around.  I hat that because Liddi showed that he could be a 110+ mashere, despite the K's. So....there's type of template to ponder.  It worked for the Rays (last year they had 4 guys near/above the 130 OPS number) in '08 and '10, it could work for the M's.  Thinking about it, the Safeco effect would probably reduce the needed numbers a bit.  So, let's shoot for two 125 guys in the lineup and another off the bench.

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