Even in the usual day-game-after-night-game lineup shuffle, Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez’s lineup had quite a different look on Wednesday morning. It started at the top. He had the rookie Tommy La Stella batting in the leadoff spot, and dropped Jason Heyward down to the fifth spot.
And it seemed to be a change Gonzalez wants to take for a trial run, not just a one-day thing.
“I don’t do things just knee-jerk,” Gonzalez said. “We’ll see how it goes today, see how the thing flows here today and then when you plug in B.J. (Upton) tomorrow and you plug in (Andrelton) Simmons in there tomorrow and you plug in Justin (Upton) again there tomorrow, see how the dynamic of that lineup works.”
He said that, with the idea that La Stella would stay at the top. The rookie has been one of the most consistent hitters in a lineup that’s struggling. La Stella had hit safely in 14 of his first 18 major league games, entering play Wednesday, while batting .364 (24-for-66) and he’d had multi-hit games in nine of those.
“Tommy’s a guy - I’ve been watching him over 15 games or so, 17 games,” Gonzalez said. “He (may not be) a base stealer or a base burner, but I think he runs the bases well enough and put him out there in the lead-off spot and do his thing. He doesn’t have to change anything with his approach. He’s got a good eye at the plate, going to put the ball in play and run him out there.”
Gonzalez had been considering hitting La Stella second, where he could take advantage of his ability to hit for contact, hit behind the runner and bunt, but Gonzalez was hesitant to bat left-handers in three consecutive spots in the order with Heyward, La Stella and Freddie Freeman. This way he gets the left-handed La Stella in the leadoff spot, and when the regular every day lineup returns Thursday in the opener against the Nationals, he could either bat the right-handed Justin Upton in the No. 2 hole, or put B.J. Upton back there, and keep Freeman third.
Gonzalez has talked to Heyward about dropping him in the order and getting him into more of a run-producers spot, at fifth.
“Jason (said) ‘Whatever you want me to do,’” Gonzalez said. “He’s good with that kind of stuff.”
Heyward batted .322 (38-for-118) with a .403 on-base percentage in 30 games in the leadoff spot last year, after moving there July 27. Gonzalez has batted Heyward leadoff all year and it hasn’t been as fruitful a spot for him. Entering Wednesday, Heyward was hitting .254 (70-for-276) with a .334 on-base percentage, to go with eight home runs and 27 RBIs.
