Coaching schemes and strategies in most sports are constantly evolving. In basketball, the introductions of the slam dunk, the three-point line, and the hookshot all changed how the game is played forever, and the types and athletic abilities of players have changed over time as well. No longer does a player have to be a minimum of six feet tall in order to consider a career in pro basketball a possibility. In football, the emergence of dual-threat quarterbacks who can both pass and run effectively, as well as new offensive formations like the Wildcat and the A-11 have forced coaches to keep up with the times in regards to new schemes.

It’s made me wonder about the world of baseball. In baseball, the offensive lineup has generally had the same basic formula for as long as I can remember, and it goes from top to bottom. From the Major Leagues to the Little Leagues, teams form their lineups based on the traditional effective baseball lineup formula, with help from Wikipedia:

1. Leadoff batter, usually fastest player on team and has highest on-base-percentage
2. Usually a contact hitter or hitter with the ability to bunt for a hit
3. Generally the best all-around hitter on the team, the “Mario,” if you will, in the context of Super Mario sports games
4. Cleanup batter, often the hitter with the most power
5. Generally an RBI hitter, and hitter with second-most power on the team
6. Another RBI man, with tendency to hit sacrifice flies
7. Usually a weaker hitter with less pressure in this position
8. Sometimes a back-up #2 hitter, often has most pressure batting in front of the pitcher (in National League)
9. Often the team’s weakest hitter (most times the pitcher in the NL), but not always the case

Most teams follow this general formula for fielding a team and putting together a batting order. My question, however, is what if one team bucked the trend and fielded a lineup that didn’t follow the formula? How would the face of baseball offense change if a team tried a batting order, for instance, of all speedy players, and lacked power? Certainly the team might not hit as many home runs as the rest of the league would, but isn’t it possible to win games (especially with speed and aggressive baserunning) without hitting the ball over the fence?

When it comes to sports, I’m a huge fan of speed. I’m a fan of dual-threat quarterbacks over pocket passers. I’m a fan of good, fast ballhandlers in basketball that can make defenders look like complete idiots. Therefore, why not field a baseball team consisting of pure speed? Here’s an idea of what an MLB team of this caliber might look like, compiled by taking the 2008 leaders from each position in the doubles and stolen bases categories:

C Russell Martin
1B Lance Berkman
2B Dustin Pedroia
3B Chone Figgins
SS Rafael Furcal
OF Willy Taveras
OF B.J. Upton
OF Ichiro Suzuki
DH Alex Rios

It’s funny how things work out in baseball, because it always seems the first baseman doubles as the team’s power hitter (often the 4-spot hitter). Berkman would likely serve in that role, but in this all-speed team, the 4-spot might not be the best place for the most powerful hitter on the team. Who knows? It would certainly provide pitchers and defenses alike with a different challenge than a normal, traditional offense, and the extra aggressiveness on the basepath would definitely cause some mischief. Granted, this team listed may be an All-Star team of sorts, but other guys who may be just as fast with less name recognition could very possibly be placed on a team together somewhere realistically.