Atlanta Braves lineup construction: Where to put Ronald Acuna and Josh Donaldson

Brian Snitker finally decided to shake things up in the Atlanta Braves lineup, and it’s about time.

One of the big storylines surrounding the Atlanta Braves in Spring Training was the batting order. Specifically, the question was where to bat Ronald Acuna Jr.

As we all know, when Brian Snitker decided to move Acuna to the leadoff spot after the All-Star break last year it sparked the rookie and the Atlanta Braves offense.

Based on Twitter conversations, the fanbase was pretty split on their thoughts.

I’ll be honest and say I was on the side that thought Acuna needed to hit further down in the order so he’d have more RBI opportunities.

But I also thought/hoped we’d see a capable Ender Inciarte from the start this year in the leadoff spot. That clearly hasn’t happened, and it doesn’t look like it will happen any time soon.

The other situation that developed in Spring Training was Josh Donaldson‘s desire to hit in the second spot.

In the past I’ve misspoken in saying Josh Donaldson demanded to hit second, he simply said he prefers to hit there.

But still, when you’re paying a guy $23 million, you’re going to try and make sure he’s comfortable and happy.

Here is a look at the lineup for Friday night’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks:

While it didn’t necessarily lead to a lot of runs, the top of the order (1-4) had all seven hits and account for both runs.

But with the Atlanta Braves averaging just 2.3 runs per game over their last six games, a change needed to be made.

Going forward, the biggest questions for me are what to do with Acuna and Donaldson in the lineup.