Acuna Prefers To Hit Leadoff

Ender would be great at leadoff if he could get back to pre 2018 numbers. A guy getting on base at a .350 clip would be excellent for JD, Freddie, and Acuna.
 
Heyward said:
I'd agree with you normally but "right now", we dont have anyone who can put him out of leadoff unless you want to go say Ender/Acuna/FF/JD in the first 4 spots.
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Well, that’s on AA. The Braves needed another hitter good enough to bat in the top half of a contending lineup.

As things currently stand, a platoon of Albies with Markakis is probably good enough to set the table for the 3 impact hitters
 
Albies
Freeman
Markakis
Donaldson
Acuna
McCann/Flowers
Swanson
Inciarte

Would be my lineup.

0% chance it happens with Snit unless FO pressure is applied.
 
It’s a good thing nobody will bat Acuna 5th and give him 20-50 fewer PAs than he otherwise should have gotten on the season.
 
sturg33 said:
But when you're in the batter's box, the context of what spot of the lineup you're in is completely invisible.

If you have a man on second with 1 out, what is the difference of whether you're in the leadoff spot or the cleanup spot?

The Braves should optimize the lineup in which the most runs are expected to score.
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That is true but there is the context of the pitchers psychology. First at bat of the game is a unique scenario. A lot of teams have fast guys with little power hitting leadoff. A starter can throw some 'get me over strikes' with little fear of a HR. With Acuna they start the game with a stressfull at bat. This early they might not have full control of their breaking pitches. I just dont see any reason to mess with what worked.
 
Baseball King said:
Albies
Freeman
Markakis
Donaldson
Acuna
McCann/Flowers
Swanson
Inciarte

Would be my lineup.

0% chance it happens with Snit unless FO pressure is applied.
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cajunrevenge said:
That is true but there is the context of the pitchers psychology. First at bat of the game is a unique scenario. A lot of teams have fast guys with little power hitting leadoff. A starter can throw some 'get me over strikes' with little fear of a HR. With Acuna they start the game with a stressfull at bat. This early they might not have full control of their breaking pitches. I just dont see any reason to mess with what worked.
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True but wouldn’t it be More stressful for a pitcher to face Acuna With a guy on base 35% of the time. If we could find such a guy
 
Most people have a hard time grasping that correlation does not prove causation. Anyone who thinks batting leadoff caused Acuna to become a better hitter is pretty clueless. He became an amazing hitter because he is an amazing talent, and improves faster than any player I’ve ever seen.
 
bravesfanMatt said:
True but wouldn’t it be More stressful for a pitcher to face Acuna With a guy on base 35% of the time. If we could find such a guy
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Seems like he came up with men on base all the time in the leadoff spot after the first at bat of the game. I know those 8th and 9th place at bats feel a lot different with Acuna looming than Ender Inciarte even if he could be a consistent .350 OBP hitter. I will take Acuna mashing no matter the batting order. If he likes leadoff I think we should listen to the player until a good leadoff option emerges.
 
I’m not too worried about lineup construction, as it doesn’t make too much of a difference in terms of wins. But under no circumstances do I want to give Acuna less ABs and Markakis more ABs.
 
4th is a good spot for Acuna...he can be an aggressive base runner ahead of the guys in the lower half of the order
 
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