Should Ender Inciarte leadoff for the Atlanta Braves in 2019?
By Steven Teal
Ender Inciarte looks set to open the season batting leadoff for the Atlanta Braves in 2019. Is this the right move?
With Opening Day right around the corner, it is time for managers to finalize their lineup construction. The Atlanta Braves have been very open to letting the players bat where they are most comfortable.
After the acquisition of former American League MVP, Josh Donaldson, Braves manager Brian Snitker had mentioned placing Rondal Acuña Jr, Donaldson, and Freddie Freeman in the first three spots of the lineup. However, we recently learned that the plan is to bat Acuña Jr. in the cleanup spot behind Freeman.
Atlanta Braves phenom Ronald Acuña Jr. found an enormous amount of success at the leadoff position in 2018, so it was assumed he would begin the 2019 season leading off for the Atlanta Braves.
However, that will not be the case and that leaves the door open for Ender Inciarte.
Stating the Case for Ender Inciarte
Now, Inciarte does not have a very strong case when you look at his statistics from last season. In 229 at-bats in the leadoff position, Ender only managed a .223 batting average and .292 on-base percentage.
Not a very compelling argument for Brian Snitker to make if he wants to place Ender at the top of the lineup.
The Atlanta Braves wouldn’t be wrong to consider using Inciarte at leadoff strictly due to his career numbers when batting first.
The Braves Gold Glove center fielder carries a slash line of .294/.342/.394 with 578 hits, 140 walks, and 283 runs scored.
When you take all of that into consideration, there’s no reason Ender Inciarte shouldn’t be leading off for Atlanta in 2019.
However, that will depend on if he has another slow start.
Inciarte has enjoyed a good Spring Training when leading off for the Braves. He has a .333 batting average in 12 at-bats in the leadoff position.
Is Ozzie Albies a viable candidate for batting first?
The Atlanta Braves have been interchanging Ozzie Albies and Inciarte in the number one spot all Spring. It seems that the organization is aware that Inciarte could struggle to get going early on in the season.
There is plenty of reason to believe that you may see Ozzie leadoff against left-handed pitching and Ender vice versa.
Albies didn’t have the best numbers leading off for the Atlanta Braves last season (.234/.282/.463) but this Spring has been a different story.
The Braves young second baseman carries a .438 average in 16 at-bats when leading off this Spring Training.
Don’t be surprised if this becomes the norm for the Braves. Inciarte has excellent career numbers when batting sixth or seventh in the batting order.
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When batting sixth, Ender has hit .284 in 197 at-bats, while when batting seventh in the order he carries a .341 average in just 129 at-bats.
It is a much smaller sample size, but it could benefit Atlanta to explore this option.
If I were constructing the lineups, I would platoon Ender and Ozzie in the leadoff position. This allows for you to always put your best foot forward, while also allowing players to hit where they are most comfortable.
Let’s give you an idea of what the lineup could look like this season.
- Inciarte (vs. RHP)/Albies (vs. LHP)
- Donaldson
- Freeman
- Acuña Jr.
- Markakis
- Albies (vs. RHP)/ Inciarte (vs. LHP)
- McCann/Flowers
- Swanson
- Pitcher
That lineup looks very good if you ask me. The only question mark is how healthy everyone will stay and if Inciarte or Albies are able to remain consistent in their roles. If they struggle at all, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Atlanta Braves decide to place Acuña back at the top of the lineup.