Fans have been thoroughly confused and frustrated by Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker insisting on hitting Alex Verdugo second in the lineup. After starting out hot his first week with the team, Verdugo hasn't done much worth writing home about.
A lot of the issue has been placed on Snit's shoulders as he seems to like to keep things the same, even if guys are struggling. It seems to take him too long to realize a change is needed.
However, the complaints about Verdugo batting second miss one critical detail. Despite what the eye test seems to show us, Verdugo actually has some decent numbers in his few games at the two spot.
Friday against the Fish 🐠#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/o9KIFYSJlq
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 20, 2025
Alex Verdugo has not been as bad in the #2 spot as Braves fans think (though it hasn't been great)
In 19 plate appearances this season, Verdugo is batting .313 with a .421 on-base percentage when batting second. His OPS and slugging percentage aren't very impressive at .313 and .734 respectively.
It's a very small sample size but it indicates why Snitker has been fine with running him out in that spot. Snit isn't relying on Verdugo's current season to make this decision. Verdugo has decent success batting second in his career with a .273/.330/.416 slash line, a .746 OPS, 20 HR, 36 2B, and 72 RBI.
He has excelled this year in not chasing a lot and isn't striking out a ton even if the batted ball metrics leave something to be desire. His walk rate is disappointing and the aforementioned weak contact have been brutal when it comes to his value to the offense. It's just not the best fit for batting behind Ronald Acuna Jr. especially given how often Ronald is getting on base. Unfortunately, there aren't many better options for the Braves right now. At least we can see the logic behind Snit's decision, even if we disagree with it.
The good news is that Jurickson Profar will return very soon. He will be an incredible addition to the lineup and with the recent offensive surge, the best is yet to come. Verdugo could be the odd man out once Profar is activated but we will know more about the team's plans when that time comes.