For The Leadoff Spot, It Is Time For Change
The Phillies will head into the All-Star break after this weekend’s series at the Miami Marlins in a pretty good position to make the National League playoffs. They’ve had quite a surge of late, having won 21 of their last 28 games, largely due to a lot of terrific starting pitching and just enough hitting when that pitching hasn’t been reliable.
On June 2, when the team was 25-31 and mired in an offensive mediocrity that this city didn’t envision from a lineup that included so many good hitters, manager Rob Thomson inserted left fielder Kyle Schwarber, a notorious torrid June hitter, into the leadoff spot in the lineup.
Scwharber stayed true to form for much of the month, hitting monster home runs and surging his abysmal batting average close to the .190 mark (yes, you read that right).
Much has been made of Schwarber’s comfort of being the top hitter in the order. Others point to the team making it’s playoff push a year ago by going 65-46 in the last 111 games with Schwarber at the top spot. And now, since June 2, the Phillies have averaged 5.6 runs a game since the lineup change by Thomson. Isn’t that the name of the game, winning? Of course it is. And for some inexplicable reason, that’s what the Phillies do when Schwarber hits leadoff.
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But could it be even easier if he was hitting elsewhere in the lineup? I think it’s time. His play in the outfield has been lackluster, at best, as we all know he is more suited to be what he was brought here for – a designated hitter. But until Bryce Harper is ready to play the field at first base, this is not going to happen. But putting Schwarber in a more favorable position in the batting order is.
Though he has struggled like no other season before, Trae Turner is just the natural leadoff hitter that any team in baseball covets. Though he his batting average has lingered around the .250 mark, maybe his comfort level would rise should he be thrust into the leadoff spot. I believe that no matter where he is in the lineup, Schwarber could still hit home runs. Because as of now, he really does not do much else offensively, though he did have a huge RBI single on Thursday against the Rays.
Yes, winning is the only thing that matters. And that’s what the Phillies do with Schwarber at the top spot. So a change isn’t really necessary. As of now. But is it really in the best interest of the team to have a .180 hitter with no speed and the most power on the team leading off the game? Of course not. After the All-Star break is the time to get this order to where it should be, and that’s leading off Trea Turner.