Should the Braves swap Ronald Acuña Jr. and Michael Harris II in the lineup?
Michael Harris has shown he can hit anywhere in the lineup.
Since debuting in Atlanta, Harris has spent most games hitting in the 9th spot in the lineup. However, in the past few months with the additions of Vaughn Grissom, Robbie Grossman, and Eddie Rosario into the lineup, Harris has spent time hitting in the 8th, 7th, 6th, and even 1 game in each of the 2nd spot and leadoff spot.
Excluding his offensive contributions in the 1st and 2nd spot due to the small sample size of 1 game each, Michael Harris has excelled at each of the other spots in the lineup, arguably hitting better in the 8th, 7th, and 6th spot than the 9th spot.
6th spot: .450/.476/.850
7th spot: .313/.333/.656
8th spot: .333/.429/.571
9th spot: .303/.337/.533
He does have a larger sample size in the 9th spot, but the amount of games he has spent in each of those spots is more than enough to show he is more than capable of producing at any part of the lineup he is put in.
Michael Harris is hitting for more extra-base hits
There is no doubt the undeniable advantage of having your lead-off excelling at reaching first base, whether that be from single, walk, HBP, or other means. But the ability to have your lead-off start at second base, third base, or even trotting around the bases is even more valuable.
Though many traditionally think of the lead-off hitter to be a speedy get-on-base kind of guy, many teams have moved away from that philosophy in recent years.
Teams like the Dodgers with Mookie Betts, the Rangers with Marcus Semien, and the Yankees with Aaron Judge have elected to put a capable slugger in their leadoff spot as opposed to their fastest, best on-base guy.
All 3 of those teams are in the top half of the league in percentage of games with a run in the first inning, with the Dodgers being one and the Yankees two on that list. While scoring a run in the first inning often takes more than just the leadoff hitter, they often are the catalyst for the offense that inning and set up the team for success early in the game.
Michael Harris has displayed an incredible ability to hit to all fields for power, which has allowed him to cash in plenty of doubles which gives his team a great opportunity to score given his speed.
Michael Harris – .557 slugging percentage, 24 doubles, 18 home runs, 149 WRC+
Ronald Acuña Jr. – .401 slugging percentage, 20 doubles, 11 home runs, 112 WRC+
In fewer games, Michael Harris has accumulated more extra-base hits than Ronald Acuña. Harris’ ability to slug and extend hits for more than a single has led the Braves to have some of the best offensive production in the league out of the 7th-8th-9th spots in the lineup
Michael Harris II is a slightly better base runner
I considered not including this in the list because there’s not a humongous difference between the two in this category. Ronald Acuña Jr. and Michael Harris II are great base runners, both in the top 20 of the MLB in BsR with Acuña at a BsR of 4.5 compared to Harris’ BsR of 4.7. While that is not a substantial difference, it is worth mentioning, especially considering Harris has played 11 fewer games than Ronald.
Acuña has stolen more bases, with his current total sitting at 27 compared to Harris’ total at 16 which is a large difference. The discrepancy between their BsR totals comes from the number of times Ronald has been caught stealing. Acuña has been caught stealing 10 times on 37 attempts, while Harris has been caught stealing once over 17 attempts.
Acuña has obviously attempted more stolen bases which is why he has been thrown out more, but Harris has a higher successful stolen base percentage regardless. That is important because many metrics have shown it is more detrimental to a team when a player is caught stealing than it is beneficial when they steal a base successfully.
The difference in base running between the two is very minimal, it just comes down to whether you prefer a more aggressive base runner like Ronald as opposed to a safer base runner like Harris, though many stats and metrics do tend to prefer Harris’ safer base running.
Another thing to consider when looking at their base running as Ronald’s recent knee pain which sidelined him for a few games and has left him as a DH since. You can tell he is playing through injury which could affect his speed substantially.
Acuña could benefit from a change of pace
There is no question about the immense amount of pressure a MLB player feels to suit up and perform well in front of 40,000 fans every day. I’m sure that pressure is only increased when you are looked upon to be the catalyst for the offense and lead off the team.
A possible change in where Ronald bats in the lineup could not only spark some production he has been missing this season, but also alleviate some of the pressure I’m sure he is feeling as the everyday lead-off in the lineup.