Should Ozzie Albies Hit Second for the Atlanta Braves?
Acuna brings pop to the leadoff spot but he checks all the boxes for a one or two-hitter batting in front of the meat of the order.
He gets on base and scores a ton of runs. For his career, he has a .383 on-base percentage with 67 homers in 234 games at the top of the order. Acuna has scored 206 runs in those 234 games. As a leadoff hitter, that equates to 143 runs per 162 games.
Since the beginning of 2019, Ozzie Albies ranks 91st in OBP from the two-hole. Freddie Freeman is number one on the list with a .512 OBP in 125 PAs.
Batting second, Albies has gotten on-base at just a .310 clip, in that time span. These numbers can be traced to his mediocre production against right-handed pitching. Ozzie is not very good against RHP.
In his career, Ozzie has a .312 OBP against righties with a .433 SLG.
Contrast that with his incredible production against lefties. Albies boasts a .376 OBP with a .950 OPS and 21 homers in 417 at-bats.
He’s REALLY good against lefties and below-average against righties. Overall, his OBP of .310 since the beginning of 2019 out of the two-hole, is not good.
Do Fans Think Ozzie Albies Should move Down Batting Order?
I reached out to the fine folks at the Tomahawk Talk Facebook group to get their thoughts on Albies in the two-spot.
Trent Dickson: “Hey Seth. Big fan of your work! I like Freddie hitting 2nd over Ozzie. Starting the game with your best two players in Ronald Acuña and Freddie Freeman makes for a tough start for opposing pitchers. Plus, this should lead to more ABs for everyone else.”
Thanks, Trent! I’m a big fan of my work, too! I would like to note, Trent has made it very clear that he is a huge proponent of having Freddie in the two-spot. He will bring it up at any random moment. He sends social media messages in the middle of the day calling for it. He shouts it out at movie theaters and even when he’s in the bathroom. He’s adamant that this is the way things should be.