JUGGLING TREA TURNER
Trea Turner has the potential of becoming an all-time leadoff hitter. But, he has yet to learn the art of patience at the plate. Until he does, Adam Eaton gets the honor. He is good at it but does not have Turner’s base stealing prowess nor his power.
So, where will Martinez hit Turner? Although logic tells you second, you risk taking away Turner’s speed with Harper, Daniel Murphy and Ryan Zimmerman hitting behind.
Until Turner stops pressuring himself to force action, second is not his ideal spot. Perhaps Rendon will try second and Turner gets an audition at sixth where his speed is not hindered.
Eaton’s injury forced Turner to lead off last year. At some point, Turner will find the spot again. Until he learns plate discipline and choses his swings carefully, expect Martinez to find a spot that helps everybody.
Fans were unhappy during Baker’s tenure the lineup remained fixed unless a player needed a day off. With Martinez’s data approach, those days are over. Now, fans will not like precision matching. Some folks, you cannot please.
In Turner’s case, you could see him hit first, second, sixth or ninth. The nine-spot can work in lineups where you have two solid leadoff options. It comes down to how fast he matures as a hitter. An injury-free season will help.