Isolated Power and the Cleanup Position

"The key to winning baseball games is pitching, fundamentals, and three run homers" -Earl Weaver

The sabermetric statistic Isolated Power (ISO) is simply calculated as slugging percentage minus batting average. It is intended to be a measure of a hitter's propensity to hit doubles, triples, and home runs. This is the classic definition of the power hitter. Should that hitter always be in the cleanup position in a lineup? Twenty years ago, that answer would have been yes. Things have changed a bit in recent years.

The old school theory that prevailed for about 100 years had the fastest guy at leadoff, the best contact hitter in the 2-hole, the highest batting average at 3, and the home run hitter at cleanup. Since the advent of sabermetrics, there is evidence that a hitter's position in the lineup doesn't necessarily matter. Joe Maddon once dismissed criticism of his lineups as ramblings by "Lineupistas." He may have been right. What I think everyone agrees on is that you want your best hitters, whether they be high OPB or high SLG, at the top of the order to maximize their plate appearances.

Back to ISO. The categories are defined as such:

.100 or below - limited power

.140 - league average

.170 or higher - above average power

.200 or higher - consistent power

.250 or higher - premier power hitter

The MLB leaders in ISO for 2025 are:

Aaron Judge - .357

Cal Raleigh - .345

Shohei Ohtani - .343

Kyle Schwarber - .329

Eugenio Suarez - .305

Corbin Carroll - .297

Junior Caminero - .273

Byron Buxton - .272

Shea Langeliers - .271

Pete Crow-Armstrong - .263

These hitters are not consistently cleanup hitters, but I think the main takeaway is that you need to have this type of player on your team to make a serious postseason run. We've been talking about the Red Sox adding a legitimate right-handed power bat ever since the departures of Mookie Betts and JD Martinez. They have a great all-around hitter in Bregman, but will he even be with the team next year?

How do the Red Sox stack up?

Alex Cora started the year with Duran, Devers, Bregman, and Casas at the top of the lineup. Once Casas got hurt, he experimented with Campbell in the cleanup spot. Neither guy did very well in terms of power. Recently, he's moved Anthony to the leadoff spot. This makes sense as his power hasn't come around yet, but his OBP is outstanding, and he runs very well. Perfect for a leadoff hitter. Bregman has filled the vacancy in the 2-hole with Duran moving to 3. Bregman is the Red Sox best pure power hitter, although not quite in the elite category. I don't love Duran at 3 as he's more of a speed guy with some power. I think Duran 2 and Bregman 3 makes more sense, but then again, I've been accused of being a Lineupista.

Cora has experimented with Story, Narvaez, and Abreu in the cleanup spot since sending Campbell down. Story is a streaky hitter but he's not a pure power hitter. Neither is Narvaez. I think Abreu is the best choice to hit cleanup consistently on the team as currently constructed with Story at 5, but I'm not really sure it matters at this point. They just don't have "that guy."

Almost all of the championship caliber teams in MLB have a premier power hitter in their lineup, regardless of where they bat in the order. This is why I felt that acquiring a hitter of Eugenio Suarez's caliber at the deadline was so important for the Red Sox to take their offense to the next level. He is a free agent this offseason and will be highly sought after. His price will be high. If the Red Sox lose Alex Bregman, Suarez needs to be a priority. Regardless of what happens this year, a high ISO hitter should be a top priority in the offseason.