Peter Lyndon Halpin doesn’t quite sound like a Major League Baseball player.
Petey Halpin, though? That’s a ballplayer name if we’ve ever heard one.
And it’s a name that is pivotal right now in the ALCS for the Cleveland Guardians.
The Guardians don’t really have a ton of lineup decisions to make each game. They can swap catchers between Patrick Bailey and Austin Hedges if they want, but that’s mostly based on who’s pitching.
It’s in the outfield where they have one decision: Halpin, or Angel Martinez.
And for Game 3 on Thursday afternoon, it’s Halpin in centerfield, flanked in left by Steven Kwan and right by Chase DeLauter.
While it’s a logical decision at this point, it’s also a crucial one. The performance of Halpin in the lineup instead of Martinez could help decide who goes to the World Series.
Why is Petey Halpin Starting?
The easiest way to explain why Halpin is starting is to examine what he brings to the field.
He’s a great defensive centerfielder, using his speed to glide around the outfield. His presence allows the Gold Glover, Kwan, to remain in his best spot, left field.
That speed shows up on the basepaths, too, with 10 steals during the regular seasons.
He’s also got sneaky pop, with four homers in 178 MLB at bats this season.
Halpin is hot of late, too, with a pair of doubles late in the ALDS (one on which he got thrown out trying for third).
He may not have an insane prospect pedigree or the kind of light-tower power that modern baseball hopes for in its players.
But Halpin is a ballplayer that plays like a guy named Petey, and that’s the kind of guy who can change a game positively in your favor in the postseason.
Why Isn’t Angel Martinez Playing?
This is an easy answer: 1-for-18.
That’s what Martinez is at the plate in these playoffs.
His lone hit game in Game 1 of the ALCS when he entered in the seventh inning and got a single.
Martinez has struck out 10 times in those 18 at bats, too.
He was a breakout player for much of the regular season in Cleveland, but Martinez has found himself in a major slump at a bad time. He’s a switch-hitter, too, which almost makes it harder to bust out of it — he has to figure out what’s going wrong from both sides of the plate.
Martinez has versatility and could be a late-game substitution to hit, or run, or field. But it’s tough to start him over Halpin at the moment with how Martinez is hitting.
Why Guardians Are Playing Petey Halpin, not Angel Martinez