Kyle Schwarber may actually be the leadoff hitter the Washington Nationals never knew they needed. Over the weekend manager Dave Martinez experimented with the slugging outfielder at the top of the order for two games. The results were amazing hit.
In both games, Schwarber hit a home run in his first at-bat. That’s right both games Schwarber delivered leadoff homers. Saturday in the first of a doubleheader, Schwarber opened the Nationals’ offense with a 426-foot home run to right field. The Nationals won the game 2-0.
Then on Sunday, Schwarber cranked a blast to right center of Johnny Cueto in the Nationals’ first at-bat. Washington won that game as well by a 5-0 score.
Schwarber hit a second homer in the game in the second inning — a three-run blast that extended the Nationals’ lead to 4-0. He completed the matinee clash with four runs driven in.
This season he has batted leadoff in three games. Schwarber is hitting .300/.417/1.200 with three homers and five RBIs in the spot.
Nationals’ lackluster offense has forced Martinez’s hand. The Nationals average a mere 3.74 runs per game which is second-worst in all MLB. One of the many reasons for that is the lack of a true leadoff hitter. Schwarber could fix that.
It’s unrealistic to believe he would open every game with a home run. Yes, he lacks the ideal speed of a leadoff hitter. He has just 12 stolen bases throughout his career of seven years. He also been caught stealing 11 times. However as he displayed Sunday against the Giants, Schwarber allows the Nationals to flip the lineup with pop after the hitter spot.
More importantly, he allows Turner and Soto to slide down the order. Turner is the essence of a leadoff hitter. But right now, he is the Nationals second-best hitter.
Batting him first wastes his bat. He is superb with men on base this season, hitting .330/.384/.477 with 23 RBIs in 99 such plate appearances. The payoff is greater with Turner at the plate with a runner on base.
Sliding Soto to third also makes the Nationals offense much better. This season batting third has been most effective for the reigning NL batting champion. Soto is batting .299/.445/.552 while hitting third. Seven of his eight home runs and 21 of his 27 RBIs have come during his 110 plate appearances while batting third.
Washington would love center fielder Victor Robles to assume the leadoff spot. But the 24-year old is too in consistent with the bat to trust in the spot. Schwarber scares opposing pitchers more. He also creates a powerful trio at the top of the order.
The Nationals are 27-35 and sitting in last place of the NL East 7.5 games back. As the July 31 trade deadline approaches, the Nationals have to show some life to avoid being sellers.
If they want to turn around their fortunes, Martinez may have to try something unorthodox. Schwarber batting first could be the spark the offense desperately needs. So maybe Martinez should flip the switch at least until Schwarber tapers off.
More must-reads: