Dodgers Best Lineup

With Hanley Ramirez starting the season on the DL, the Dodgers will have to make some changes to their starting lineup and with these changes comes the question of what their most productive lineup is.  I used my simulator to figure out just that.  I used 2013 Bill James projections as input and for this exercise I had the simulator come up with the most productive lineup against RHP.  I assumed that the Dodgers would start Nick Punto at 3B against RHP and I am not about to project Puig as a starter yet.  Here is the best lineup that it found.

1. Carl Crawford  (L)
2. Matt Kemp
3. Adrian Gonzalez  (L)
4. Andre Ethier  (L)
5. Luiz Cruz
6. Mark Ellis
7. Nick Punto  (S)
8. A.J. Ellis
9. Pitchers Spot

I was surprised to see that batting the pitcher 8th was no longer the best option.  I suppose having a weak hitter like Nick Punto in the lineup put a damper on that strategy.