Why does everyone use the 56 Mantle?

It seems to me that the 61 Mantle with the 1-3 defense in CF would be the better choice. What am I missing here?

A fundamental understanding of Strat o matic.

No, I get it, but the offensive gain , once balance is factored in, seems to be a break even with playing a 2 in cf. Maybe a slight edge to the 56 card overall, but not that great really

The last druid has a razor sharp wit lol.

Most of the pitchers you face in leagues will be rightys by far and the difference in hitting between the two cards is huge against rightys. Plus the 61 card has two more errors helping to offset the 15% chance of a hit on the 2 range card.

http://www.diamonddope.com/card_reader.cfm

A fundamental understanding of Strat o matic.

Druid, we're in three leagues together right now. I'll let my "fundamental understanding" speak for itself