The Philadelphia Phillies have all the makings of a stacked major league lineup. They have stars scattered throughout the batting order with hardly an easy out. First baseman Bryce Harper is the biggest and most prominent superstar and anchors the club. A must-watch superstar, Harper has every indication of an all-time Phillies legend.
Before the Phillies signed Harper, the club was looking for a hero to guide them in future postseason play. The Phillies got everything they wanted for the team's biggest moments. Just like anyone else, Harper can only bat so many times, so the rest of the club has to pick up the slack. The Phillies have a solid lineup, but swing and miss and lack of focus have snake-bitten them repeatedly the past few seasons. Harper could help curb these issues by moving his services to the leadoff spot going forward.
Holy moly Bryce Harper#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/F0sqqKZC08
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 23, 2023
The undeniable reason why Bryce Harper should be the Phillies' leadoff hitter
Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber has been an unconventional leadoff hitter since he joined in 2022, per MLB.com's Mike Lupica. The team followed Schwarber's leadoff success, so manager Rob Thomson stayed true to how the team was reacting.
That has translated to early postseason success but demonstrated meagerness during crunch time. The leadoff spot for Harper could present a significant upside for the offense. Traditionally, baseball's best hitters bat in the three-hole with the opportunity to hit with runners on base. That approach has worked, but according to MLB analyst Ryan Spaeder, baseball's best hitters should actually be batting leadoff.
Leadoff hitters across MLB in 2024 had 10,711 plate appearances with the opportunity to either tie the game or take the lead. That same player would only have 9,754 plate appearances — 975 less — as the three-hole hitter. That means Harper would see a 9.81 percent increase in high-leverage scenario opportunities as the leadoff hitter.
The best player on every single team should bat leadoff in every single game.
— Ryan M. Spaeder (@theaceofspaeder) January 3, 2025
In 2024, across MLB, leadoff hitters had 10,711 plate appearances with the potential to either tie the game or take the lead — 957 more than three-hole hitters. This includes additional opportunities…
Harper is nicknamed "The Showman" for a reason, so who wouldn't want to see him in even more momentum-hung moments?
MLB players are only given so many plate appearances to influence the flow of a game. By batting leadoff, it maximizes the probability of winning games. It would give fans peace of mind knowing players who want to be in those moments will get the ability to change the course of the game or even a series more times than anyone.
The atmospheric build-up of the three-hole hitter is fun in nature especially if runners can get on base early for a dramatic moment. What's even better is putting that same pressure on opposing pitching staffs early in games and more often entirely. It may only lead to one extra plate appearance at times, but that one additional try could be the difference between wishing for a moment and having that star get the moment every fan wants.