As the Atlanta Braves offense continues to struggle, Brian Snitker has resorted to putting out some weird lineups to try and light a spark. A day after running out a lineup with Eli White in the leadoff spot, Verdugo returned to the lineup in the leadoff spot, but rookie Drake Baldwin's name was surprisingly high on the lineup card.
Even with Snitker's bold choice to put the hot-hitting lefty Baldwin in the two-hole, the Braves manager fell just short of the perfect lineup with the offense that he has.
Brian Snitker needs to put Drake Baldwin at leadoff to optimize the lineup
Through no fault of his own, the Braves manager has already used five players in the leadoff spot with minimal success. After Jurickson Profar did nothing in the leadoff spot before getting suspended, Snitker has tried Alex Verdugo, Michael Harris II, Ozzie Albies, and Eli White.
These five hitters have combined to slash .232/.269/.331, which comes out to a .601 OPS, the fourth-worst in baseball this season out of the leadoff spot. It's not shocking that the Braves have only scored 15 first-inning runs in 2025, which is tied for third-worst in MLB.
It makes plenty of sense for Snitker to move up rookie sensation Drake Baldwin up in the lineup, especially considering he's slashing an insane .579/.579/1.000 this month. However, a smarter move to jump start the lineup might just be bumping up Baldwin and Marcell Ozuna in the lineup.
Whether Ozuna or Baldwin hitting leadoff shouldn't matter too much, but the fact remains that these are the Braves top two options by OBP. Instead of starting off the game with a player who has a .300 OBP and has four hits and no walks in his last nine games, the Braves immediately start the game with on-base threats.
Until Ronald Acuña Jr. returns, the Braves need all the help they can get scoring runs, and starting the game with a higher chance at scoring runs should be prioritized. So far, the Braves have basically given their opponents a 73% chance at getting their leadoff hitter out.
With the latest lineup, Brian Snitker comes so close to getting that jolt in the first inning right, but still falls short by not being willing to start the game with one of the team's best hitters.