Not an MLB leadoff man
- Kansas City Royals (69 wRC+)—Whit Merrifield (71% of leadoff PA)
Merrifield had the most plate appearances out of the leadoff spot, but it was a longtime Royal who was more responsible for the team’s near-bottom finish in wRC+. Merrifield had an 89 wRC+ while batting leadoff. It was the veteran Alcides Escobar who inflicted the most damage from the top spot by hitting .176/.188/.204 in 115 PA as the leadoff hitter.
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Despite being the second-worst hitter in MLB last season, Escobar was re-signed by the Royals in the offseason. If there’s a bright side to this news, it’s that Ned Yost has slowly been learning over the last two years and has been decreasing Escobar’s time in the leadoff spot. In 2015, Escobar batted leadoff in 91 percent of his plate appearances. That number dropped to 54 percent in 2016 and just 18 percent last year. If Yost has truly learned his lesson, Escobar won’t bat leadoff at all in 2018.
- Cincinnati Reds (66 wRC+)—Billy Hamilton (82% of leadoff PA)
No team had more stolen bases out of the leadoff spot than the Cincinnati Reds, primarily because of the speedy Billy Hamilton. Unfortunately, no team had worse production out of the leadoff spot, mainly because the on-base averse Billy Hamilton. Hamilton stole 59 bases but had a .299 OBP.
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Only six players with enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title had a worse wRC+ than Hamilton’s 66 and one of those was Jose Peraza, who had the second-most plate appearances in the leadoff spot for the Reds. If manager Bryan Price bats Hamilton first and Peraza second next year, Joey Votto should go on strike. Actually, if Hamilton remains at the top of the lineup, Votto should go on strike anyway.