Tucson — Clint Hurdle isn’t big on talking publicly about any possible tweaks to his batting order.
Why? Because he wants to be able to tell the players about it before it hits the papers or the Internet.
There is one, though, that he can say without hesitation: “You can tell Tulo he’s hitting second.”
That would be Troy Tulowitzki, who finished last season in the seven hole, but will make his way to the No. 2 spot in the order in 2008. Or should I say back to the No. 2 spot?
Sure, it’s a different outlook hitting second than it is hitting seventh. But I wouldn’t worry about Tulo. The kid is a baseball lifer. He’ll be just fine. And for all we know, he’ll hit more home runs than any other No. 2 hitter in baseball.
But this being baseball, you probably want some numerical assurance. OK, here goes: Tulo hit .294 in the seven hole last season, with eight home runs and 30 ribbies in 238 at-bats. Hitting second, his numbers were .297-14-57 in 290 ABs.
Maybe the moral to the story is this: No matter where he lands in the order, Tulowitzki is going to hit.
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He can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
