Kyle Schwarber prefers to hit leadoff. Here's the thing–he's not good at it. And I have no idea why Rob Thomson has started to write his name atop the scorecard again.
I compared Schwarber's numbers with those of some of the best leadoff guys around–Ronald Acuna, Jr., Brandon Nimmo, Jose Altuve, and Phillies Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn. Here's how they compare (and for this example, I'm using all times leading off an inning, not just the first AB of the game):
Schwarber – 979 plate appearances, .234 BA, .323 OBP, 60 HR, 285 Ks
Acuna Jr. – 907 plate appearances, .295 BA, .364 OBP, 54 HR, 237 Ks
Nimmo – 888 plate appearances, .283 BA, .392 OBP, 23 HR, 212 Ks
Altuve – 1920 plate appearance, .307 BA, .364 OBP, 73 HR, 225 Ks
Ashburn – 3250 plate appearances, .309 BA, .410 OBP, 7 HR, 213 Ks
The leadoff guy's job is to get on base and let the guys behind him drive him in. Schwarber's numbers don't work for a leadoff guy. People love him because he looks like a regular dude (one of us) and sometimes mashes a ball almost 500 feet. The leadoff guy sets the tone for the inning. Striking out 29% of the time like Schwarber does sets a lousy tone.
Schwarber's career more closely resembles Pat Burrell or Dave Kingman. Would you want either of those guys leading off? Of course not. Then why let Schwarber?
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