Pirates experiment, use John Jaso at lead-off

Pittsburgh Pirates experiment, try John Jaso at lead-off spot.

Over the course of spring training, many different lineups are thrown together. Whether it’s by design to get a certain hitter more at-bats, or to experiment with slotting different players in different roles, it’s very rare to see a firm lineup until the very last week of camp.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are no different. Aside from Andrew McCutchen‘s lock on the number three spot, the hitters around him are a swirl of possibilities.

One of the more intriguing possibilities is being tested in today’s Grapefruit League tilt against the Baltimore Orioles.

The revolution is over. The nerds have won. Sorry Goose. Today's Pirates lineup … pic.twitter.com/ixL5eznJnK

— Travis Sawchik (@Travis_Sawchik) March 16, 2016

There is a lot of thoughts to unpack regarding this lineup, and first among them is John Jaso in the lead-off spot. The accepted thinking is that the first spot in the order would be manned by either Josh Harrison or Gregory Polanco. Though both have been used lower in the order often, Jaso may force Clint Hurdle’s hand to keep the two in the bottom half of the order.

Hitting Jaso first in spring training is nothing new, and he performs well there for his career.

Of course, any conversation regarding Jaso’s role as a hitter must carry the obligatory note that he will be hit strictly in a platoon against right-handed pitching. Over his eight-year career, Jaso’s workload between right-handers and left-handers is drastically different. Jaso has only 185 career at-bats against LHP, versus 1,485 against right-handers. Even considering his intended platoon role, the difference is still striking. Yet, Jaso’s career splits versus RHP should ensure that he will get a hard look at leading off against such pitchers, starting with today’s outing.

Looking down the rest of the lineup, it’s also curious to see Francisco Cervelli batting second, something only seen in 12 plate appearances last year. Though this may be a function of the need to balance the lineup after leading off with a left-handed bat, it’s curious as to his position in relation to Harrison. Cervelli posted a .726 OPS out of the six-hole (second most to his .794 OPS when batting seventh). It’s tempting to wonder if the team’s leader in batting average could do in a more run creation-reliant spot.

There’s no better time than spring training to experiment, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are doing just that.

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