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Cleveland Indians Lineup: Carlos Santana Best Option to Hit Leadoff?

By Tim Boyle

Nov 2, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians designated hitter Carlos Santana hits a RBI single against the Chicago Cubs in the third inning in game seven of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians designated hitter Carlos Santana hits a RBI single against the Chicago Cubs in the third inning in game seven of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Cleveland Indians slugger Carlos Santana is not a typical leadoff hitter, yet he may remain the defending American League champions’ best option in 2017.

We saw the 2016 Cleveland Indians march to the World Series last October with a rather unusual starting lineup. Specifically, it was the leadoff spot where the Indians employed an atypical player. Carlos Santana, a former catcher-turned-DH, was the man who received the majority of starts in the Indians’ lineup as the leadoff hitter. In 2017, he’s likely to do it again.

The Indians weren’t short of leadoff hitter options last year. Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor certainly looked like considerations. However, they were often penciled in at numbers two and three. Outfielder Rajai Davis received his share of starts as the leadoff hitter. He is no longer an option as he now plays for the Oakland Athletics. Kipnis and Lindor do remain, but it’s Santana who looks to be the unconventional best option.

Santana is not fast and he doesn’t hit for a very high batting average. He gets his leadoff hitter consideration because of the walks he draws. Santana walked 99 times last season. This was nothing new as it was his sixth straight of drawing 90+ walks in a season.

All of the walks resulted in Santana finishing the year with a .366 OBP. It made up for his .259 batting average which is more typical of someone in the middle of the order.

Just because Santana gets on base via walks doesn’t mean he’s a good choice for the leadoff hitter. This is why it’s worth looking at exactly how he has performed in this role.

Last year, Santana slashed .260/385/.502 when batting leadoff. Aside from the on-base percentage, it wasn’t significantly better than the games Santana played when hitting in other spots.

Nevertheless, Santana was productive in other areas where you would want your leadoff hitter to thrive. He hit .260/.365/.521 as the first batter of the game for the Indians. When leading off the inning in any spot, he slashed .264/.364/.569. Santana also finished the year with five leadoff home runs to begin the game. Even more appropriate for a rally-starter, he finished the year with a total of 16 home runs to lead off the inning.

Prior to Santana’s placement as the primary leadoff hitter for Cleveland last year, we saw him regularly hit fourth or fifth. Santana never really succeeded as a cleanup hitter as he hit just .231 in this role. When batting fifth, he did compile a very good .281 batting average.

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Santana’s track record from last season certainly shows he can handle the leadoff spot. However, there may still be better choices for the Indians.

Aside from Kipnis and Lindor, the Indians do have three other potential candidates to bat leadoff. Third baseman Jose Ramirez has good speed and limitations on power. When Michael Brantley returns, he also looks like a practical choice. Sophomore Tyler Naquin might even be worth considering.

Until Santana actually struggles regularly as the leadoff hitter, though, there doesn’t seem to be any reason to move him down in the order. His power bat at the top of the lineup added an extra element to the dangers he could offer the Indians against opposing pitchers.

Other teams are breaking with tradition as well in recent years. Jose Bautista and Adam Jones each became leadoff hitters for their respective teams often last year as well. The Indians also showed a lack of respect for outdated thinking by putting Davis in the ninth spot even though he led the league with 43 stolen bases.

Next: Puig's Sights Set on Starting Role

Penciling Santana in as the leadoff hitter got the Indians to the World Series last year. The plan worked to perfection despite how strange it appeared. And it should work again in 2017.

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