With the unfortunate news of injury to SS Francisco Lindor, many questions now arise for the Indians. How long will he be out? Will he be ready by opening day? Who will replace him at SS and who will bat leadoff now?
Let’s focus on the last question, because if the Indians had to start the season today, who could and would bat leadoff? Who even are the candidates for the job? What qualifies them for consideration? Those questions might not be as hard to answer as you think.
Carlos Santana
Carlos can be an opposing pitchers, managers, and fielders nightmare. He’s a switch hitter with power from both sides of the plate. He has patience, an excellent eye and extreme discipline when at bat. He is not afraid to take a walk if his pitch isn’t offered. When batting lefty, opposing teams put the shift on him more than 80% of the time, leaving the left side of the infield open. Carlos is a smart hitter as well. When the opportunity presents itself, he will bunt or slash hit one down the 3rd base side for a free base hit. He has plenty of experience leading off. He owns 132 games in that spot along with 26 HR, 95 BB, and a .845 OPS. For a big man, Carlos has decent speed and can be sneaky about stealing a base or two.
Jason Kipnis
The Indians need a lot out of Kipnis this season. They need his leadership and playing abilities now more than ever. As the most tenured player on the Tribe’s roster, Kipnis has done whatever the team has asked of him. Now, it might be back to the number one spot in the lineup. He has the most experience there of anyone on the current roster. Past performance also shows he does well there. He has batted first 220 times in his career. His stats show he has a .274 AVG, .779 OPS, 90 RBI and 139 runs scored as leadoff man. Kipnis has some pop in his bat and can certainly clear the fence. If he can find his swing that places balls in the left center gap, Kipnis might be the best man for the job.
Greg Allen
Allen has the tools to be considered an excellent leadoff man. He has speed, can steal bases, and is a switch hitter. He has five starts in the leadoff spot with impressive stats. In those five games he has 25 AB, a .304 AVG, one double, and four runs scored. A small sample size but certainly worth looking at. Allen became a more confident batter as he saw more pitches and regular playing time last season. As he started more games, his strikeout ratio went down, walks increased, and naturally, his batting average went up. In the past, he has been asked to bunt with limited results. The Indians have built a special bunting batting field at their spring training facility in Goodyear Arizona. Expect Greg Allen to spend some quality time there honing this skill.
Jordan Luplow
Luplow has 37 games total of MLB experience. 37 games with the National League Pirates, zero with the Indians. Of those 37 games, 6 were in the leadoff spot. As stated, Luplow has minimal MLB experience but his MiLB resume shows that he is the type of player who can hit and knows how to get on base. In 5 minor league seasons he had a .277 AVG, 118 doubles, 11 triples, 59 HR, 230 BB, and a .368 OBP. Lack of experience both in the American League and MLB might not top tip the scales in his favor but he is an intriguing option.
Leonys Martin
Martin started off his 2018 season as the Tigers leadoff man. He has 8 years of MLB experience. He has played the majority of his career in the AL. Martin is also familiar with the AL Central, being a member of both the Tigers and Indians last year. He started his 2018 campaign as the leadoff batter for Detroit. In his leadoff time with the Tigers, Martin batted .271 with a .333 OBP. Add in four HR, 6 doubles, one triple, and 11 runs scored and you find decent leadoff numbers. Unfortunately that was the month of April only. Martin’s stats declined and he eventually found his place in the bottom third of the lineup. A 100% full bill of health has Martin excited to start the season. He is eager to play baseball again and prove what he can bring to the Indians.
An injury to a key player really changes things
The last thing the Indians needed was for one of their best players to go down before the season even started. If the magical 2016 season taught the Indians anything it was resilience. Plenty of injuries occurred that year. However anytime a player got hurt the next man up did his job and performed. Someone will leadoff this team. If not the aforementioned then someone else. Tyler Naquin, Bradley Zimmer, or Jose Ramirez, could they be a sneak attack at leadoff?
If Francisco Lindor is to miss the reported 7-9 weeks, the Indians will need a plan for opening day. Manager Terry Francona, Bench Coach Brad Mills, and hitting Coach Ty Van Burkleo are a smart and wiley bunch. They’ll figure it out, they have to. There are options, good ones too. Position players report to spring training February 16th. Will the Indians bat leadoff by committee, like they have in the past? Who will step up to the plate and claim leadoff this season? Time and at bats will tell.
