In an effort to rejuvenate the offense to open the second half, Braves manager Brian Snitker placed rookie Ronald Acuna atop the team’s lineup Friday.
The Braves opened the second half with a series in Washington, a pivotal meeting for them and the Nationals, who sit five games behind the Braves and 5-1/2 out of first place in the National League East.
Acuna led the team off, with Ozzie Albies in his regular two-hole spot in front of Freddie Freeman. Ender Inciarte, the team’s usual leadoff man, hit seventh.
“He’s done it the majority of his career,” Snitker said of Acuna. “He’s led off. And Ozzie’s numbers are better hitting two than they are leadoff, so we’ll try it and see.”
Keeping Albies, Freeman and Nick Markakis in the 2-3-4 spots continues a successful formula; one that helped each make the All-Star game. Snitker finds particular value in keeping Albies in front of Freeman, where he’s been most productive.
But the position before the All-Stars has been a house of horrors. The Braves have struggled to find production at the top, and Acuna presents the latest attempt to stabilize the spot.
Inciarte, coming off a 200-hit campaign, wasn’t producing at the top. He slashed .227/.297/.271 in 53 games at leadoff, striking out 34 times and walking 18 times. He’s hit .208 against lefties on the year (108 plate appearances).
The rookie phenom has been up and down since his April 25 debut. He hit .441 in his first five games before slashing .235/.290/.388 in the ensuing 24 games.
Acuna took a nasty tumble May 27 and missed roughly a month on the disabled list. He made a minimal impact in 12 July games, hitting .186 with a .222 on-base percentage as he works his way back into form.
In theory, Acuna could be a deadly leadoff option. He speed makes him a threat to score from first on any gap hits that Albies collects. With Albies behind him, the opponent would be hard-pressed to pitch around Acuna.
As Acuna goes, the Braves go: In 24 wins, he’s hit .293 with five homers and 15 RBIs. In 19 losses, the average drops to .186 with just two homers and four RBIs. His OPS is over 300 points higher in victories (.896 vs. 519).
