[AdamC]

Personally, I say herder. If you can develop a device that lifts the ball up the ground and over the COG of the unladen robot, you can create a very stable platform.
Now, some teams may be thinking: "5 other robots? How can you even think that running laps is a viable strategy?! There'll be more traffic on that track than JFK at Christmas!" But, with some hefty shifters, you can actually push the opposition aside. As long as there is a gap large enough for your robot to squeeze through, any (low-speed) pushing and shoving that you may inflict on another will be incidental, and it will be the other robot that will be penalized for impeding if they try to stop you.
So, let's think numbers. A herder that can run the track in the Hybrid period scores a total of at least 16 points. Then, it gets its hands on a ball. That means it will start adding a reliable 4 points for every lap, with the ability to deny the opponent a trackball. Assuming the robot will average 2-3 laps every match, that is a nigh-guaranteed 28 points! I'm sure a robot that is very effective at hurdling can pull higher scores, but considering the amount of robot traffic, they may have trouble scoring.
There you have it. Herding robots, while scores are lower, are still a very viable option.