Blade’s return

Ian Bladergroen

The Barnstormers expect to make just one roster change prior to the unofficial start of the second half Friday night. 1B Ian Bladergroen will be activated from the disabled list.

This is a significant move. Bladergroen batted .319 with six homers and 26 RBIs in 26 games before suffering a broken hand on May 22. Putting him in the same lineup with Matt LeCroy will give the Barnstormers two hitters with the potential for a .900-1.000 OPS for the first time since Bladergroen, Brian Stavisky and Vasili Spanos were lost in a four-day stretch nearly two months ago.

Blade’s return leaves manager Von Hayes with some lineup flexibility for a change. Bladergroen and LeCroy can bat third and fourth, which means Mike Woods can return to the leadoff role and Danny Gonzalez can hit No. 2 again.

The Barnstormers can have their two best table setters – Woods and Gonzalez are good for an on-base between .380 and .400 – in front of their two best power hitters – LeCroy and Bladegroen are both capable of slugging over .500.

Here’s a guess at the new lineup:

Woods, 2B
Gonzalez, SS
LeCroy, DH
Bladergroen, 1B
Mejia, C
Perez, RF
Turner, 3B
Hileman, CF
Francia, 2B

On the bench: Herr, Kotch and Coffie.

Prior to the break, Hayes was using Kevin Kotch as the everyday catcher because of his defense. It was no big deal because Manny Mejia was able to serve as DH. Now Hayes will have to decide which he values more: Mejia’s bat or Kotch’s glove.

It’ll also be interesting to see how much playing time Ivanon Coffie receives. He hasn’t been in the starting lineup since he suffered a sprained wrist on June 30.

While his batting average has been subpar at .225 and he hasn’t hit well with men on base, Coffie has offensive value because he walks frequently. He has received 20 free passes in 100 plate appearances. To put that number in perspective, Jutt Hileman and Kotch have 20 walks combined in 395 plate appearances. One of the flaws in the offense is it has become impatient. Although walks aren’t itemized on the scoreboard, they are important. They produce baserunners and increased scoring opportunities.

Hayes will have to determine how much he values defense and how much he believes the offense needs a boost. If Kotch is catching and Juan Francia is at second base most of the time, the skipper has gone with D – as he has most of the season. If Mejia is catching and Coffie is at 3B (with Lloyd Turner at 2B), we’ll know Hayes feels his team is not scoring enough runs — which it isn’t.

The best part for the Barnstormers is they finally have reasonable options on the bench. That means Hayes can give players the occasional day off and manipulate matchups a little better than he has since Bladergroen was injured.