Ender Inciarte remains the Braves’ most likely leadoff hitter, but Ozzie Albies got the opportunity Friday against Marlins lefty Wei-Yin Chen.
Inciarte, who historically fares better against righties than southpaws, was dropped to seventh in the order. It’s spring training, of course, but the Braves are experimenting with combinations they may implement in the regular season.
Albies hit .335 in 188 at-bats against lefties last season, opposed to .231 versus righties (in 451 at-bats). His combination of power and speed could make him valuable atop the order.
The 21-year-old went 2-for-3 with a run scored in the Braves’ 7-6 loss. Manager Brian Snitker indicated we’ll be seeing more of Albies in that spot.
“That’s something I’m thinking about,” he said. “That’s a pretty tough first half of the lineup when you do that. It’s a definite option. I like that.”
Ronald Acuna was again plugged into the lineup at cleanup. Last season’s leadoff extraordinaire remains likeliest to hit fourth, following 2-hitter Josh Donaldson and Freddie Freeman.
