Washington Nationals: Solving the Trea Turner lineup conundrum

Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner is among the most dynamic players in the league, but there has been some debate on where he should hit in the lineup. Where is his optimal spot?

Trea Turner‘s future with the Washington Nationals is as a leadoff hitter. There is absolutely no getting around that.

Turner possesses game-changing speed that has not been seen since Rickey Henderson. Yes, Billy Hamilton is very fast and may even be a step quicker than Turner.

However, Hamilton struggles to get on base. If you could steal first, he would be an outstanding player. Unfortunately, his blazing speed is held back by his low on-base percentage. Turner, on the other hand, has no trouble getting on base.

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In addition to Turner’s speed, he possesses sneaky pop. During his incredible 2016 rookie season, he even hit a ball off of the “106.7 The Fan” booth on the concourse in left field. Not too shabby for a skinny speed guy.

With Turner’s amazing combination of speed and power, he has even drawn comparisons to Hall of Famer Andre Dawson.

There is no doubt that Turner has the potential to be one of the greatest leadoff hitters of all-time. However, the Nats’ leadoff role belongs to Adam Eaton for now.

With Eaton leading off, where should Turner hit? There has been quite a bit of debate on this conundrum, with second being the leading response, but that may not be the optimal spot for him.

If Turner bats second, he is likely in front of Bryce Harper, one of the most dangerous hitters in the league. Turner is a threat to steal anytime he is on base, but he may feel restricted with Harper at the plate.

Technically, second base is considered scoring position. But with Harper at the plate, just being on base is scoring position, especially with Turner’s wheels.

The second hitter is also supposed to see lots of pitches to give the leadoff hitter an opportunity to steal and give the heart of the order a chance to see what the opposing pitcher is featuring.

Jayson Werth filled this role brilliantly for years, but he has now departed. Although Turner’s speed is nice to have at the top of the lineup, he does not see enough pitches to bat second. He has improved a bit this spring under the tutelage of Kevin Long, but he still has a ways to go.

Anthony Rendon, whose hands are quick enough to foul off practically any pitch and prolong an at-bat, is a much better fit for the second spot in the lineup.

Dave Martinez has also experimented with batting the pitcher eighth this spring. Although Turner’s speed would be a good fit as a second leadoff hitter in the nine-hole, he is too good of a hitter to bat ninth.

Instead, the optimal lineup spot for Turner is sixth. He would be hitting right after the heart of the lineup, so he will get plenty of RBI opportunities. As a player who mostly hits for contact and can beat out grounders, he would be a great guy to have at the plate when the team needs a base hit.

In the six-hole, Turner can also serve as a leadoff hitter for the bottom of the lineup. Since Matt Wieters produced nearly nothing last year, rallies would just die after the heart of the order.

With Turner batting sixth, he can get on base and create offense with his legs. A lineup with him towards the bottom has virtually no holes.

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Turner is a great player, so he can be productive anywhere in the lineup. Martinez has also been known to experiment, so Turner will likely hit all over the lineup, but he is best-suited for the six-hole right now.

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