How managers set batting orders
A manager chooses nine starters and puts them in an order that the team must then follow all game. In 2025 the average MLB team used about 136 different batting orders over 162 games, so the lineup is rarely the same two days running.
What the rules require
- The order is fixed for the game. Under the Official Baseball Rules (Rule 5.04), each player bats in the order his name appears on the lineup card, and that order is followed throughout the game. A substitute takes the place of the player he replaces in the order.
- It becomes official at the card exchange. The batting order is established when the umpire hands each manager the other team's card, about five minutes before the scheduled start. See when MLB lineups are released.
- Batting out of turn. If the wrong player bats, the penalty only applies if the other team appeals in time (Rule 6.03(b)). It is rare, but it is why lineup cards are checked carefully.
- The designated hitter. Both leagues have used the DH since 2022, so pitchers normally do not bat. A starting pitcher can also be listed as the DH and keep hitting after he leaves the mound (Rule 5.11(b)).
Why the top of the order matters most
The order is a cycle, so in any game each spot gets either the same number of plate appearances as the spot after it or one more. Over a season, that adds up: the leadoff hitter bats more often than anyone else, and the ninth hitter least often. That is the usual argument for putting the best hitters near the top.
Beyond that, the gap between spots is small. Over a single game, the difference between two neighboring spots is at most one plate appearance.
What managers weigh
Every manager works differently, but these considerations come up again and again:
- The opposing starter's throwing hand. Hitters tend to do better against pitchers who throw with the opposite hand. In The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball (Tango, Lichtman and Dolphin, 2007), the average platoon split for left-handed hitters was about 25 points of wOBA, and the authors warn that a single season's split for one player is heavily affected by chance. Teams often use platoons, starting one player against right-handed pitchers and another against left-handers. This is why our projections look at games against the same kind of starter.
- Rest. Over a 162-game season, even everyday players get days off.
- Catchers. Catching is physically demanding, and the starting catcher's days off follow visible patterns (see the numbers below).
- Injuries and roster moves. A player on the injured list cannot play, and a call-up may go straight into the lineup.
- The DH spot. The DH can be used to give a fielder a partial rest: he still bats, but does not play the field.
- The three-batter minimum. Since the three-batter minimum (Rule 5.10(g), 2020), a reliever who enters must face at least three batters or finish the half-inning, which changes how much it matters where left-handed hitters bat.
How often batting orders change: 2025 in numbers
| Measure | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Different batting orders used per team, average (fewest / most) | 135.9 (92 / 156) |
| Games with exactly the same batting order as the team's previous game (team average) | 4.8% |
| Games with the same nine starters as the previous game, in any order | 6.5% |
| Games with the same leadoff hitter as the previous game | 75.4% |
The leadoff spot changes far less often than the lineup as a whole, which matches what we found when testing our own projections: the leadoff hitter was the easiest to predict and slots 5 to 8 the hardest (see methodology).
Catcher rest
| Game type | Team-games | Primary catcher started |
|---|---|---|
| All games | 4,860 | 57.7% |
| Day game the day after a night game | 1,189 | 44.0% |
| All other games | 3,671 | 62.1% |
| Second game of a doubleheader | 56 | 39.3% |
The overall rate is also pulled down by injuries and trades, which can leave a team's primary catcher unavailable for weeks. The doubleheader figure rests on only 56 team-games and should be read as a rough indication.
What this means for projections
A batting order is a daily decision, not a fixed list. That is why LineupMeter gives each player a start probability and a likely batting spot, instead of a single "depth chart" lineup, and why we grade the exact slot separately from whether a player starts at all. See our accuracy policy.
Sources: Official Baseball Rules, rules 5.04, 5.10, 6.03 and 5.11; T. Tango, M. Lichtman, A. Dolphin, The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball (2007), ch. 6. Figures: our own calculations. The information used here was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Interested parties may contact Retrosheet at "www.retrosheet.org".