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No Braves fan had this player hitting leadoff in 2025 on their bingo cards

Eric Cole
Eric Cole

House That Hank Built

Cincinnati Reds v Atlanta Braves / Kevin C. Cox/GettyImages

With the Atlanta Braves' offense struggling as much as it has this season, much has been made about their lineup and what the optimal choices are. The Braves tried Michael Harris and that didn't work while Alex Verdugo has occupied the spot for a while, but he has cooled off significantly of late. On Wednesday, it appears as though Brian Snitker is going to go with a very unorthodox choice.

Picking leadoff hitters comes down to philosophy. Some think that you should go with a traditional speedy contact hitter at the top, others think your best hitter should hit leadoff (which probably means that Marcell Ozuna should be leading off), while others prioritize on-base skills at leadoff.

Rather than entertain Ozuna, Austin Riley, or even Drake Baldwin as their leadoff hitter while we wait for Ronald Acuna Jr. to return and take the spot back, Snitker is giving Eli White a crack at the job.

Braves go with Eli White at leadoff against the Nationals on Wednesday

There are a few factors in play here. One, Verdugo hasn't been hitting particularly well and Atlanta is up against a lefty starter in Mitchell Parker, so Verdugo and Harris are not great options to lead off. Second, it seems as though the Braves wanted to give Verdugo a day off altogether and let Stuart Fairchild, who has done little except pinch-run this season, get some playing time.

It doesn't hurt that White has been an exceedingly fun story this season. While it almost certainly won't last, White has posted a .287/.347/.494 line in 96 plate appearances in 2025. Snitker also seems to like having speed at leadoff and White is quite fast on the bases.

Again, this choice is a bit of novelty to see what happens as Acuna Jr. is going to be leading off very soon. White does deserve a chance to shine before he is inevitably pushed to the bench. If he can keep this up, White could easily find himself in a platoon situation with Verdugo once the roster dust settles. If not, the Braves can always say they gave him a fair shake.

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Eric Cole

Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.