In baseball, the cleanup hitter is the hitter who bats fourth in the lineup. Cleanup hitters often have the most power on the team and are typically the team's best all-around hitter; their job is to "clean up the bases", hence the name.
The theory behind the cleanup hitter concept is that at the beginning of the game, the first three batters will reach base with a single-base hit, walk, or equivalent, thereby loading the bases, and enabling the cleanup hitter a chance to hit a grand slam home run. This, however, is a rare occurrence.
Justin Morneau holds the record of most games started in a season batting cleanup, with 163 in 2008.[1]
[edit] Notable cleanup hitters
The following MLB players had or have over 1,000 games batting cleanup in their careers. (Data includes seasons from 1957 to 2008; Bold names indicate players active going into 2009).
[edit] Major League Baseball cleanup hitters for the 2008 season
- The following players started the most games for their team at the clean up position in 2008.
| NL East | NL Central | NL West |
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| AL East | AL Central | AL West |
[edit] Major League Baseball cleanup hitters for the 2007 season
The following players started the most games for their team at the clean up position in 2007.
| NL East | NL Central | NL West |
|
| AL East | AL Central | AL West |
[edit] References
