Brian Snitker shuffled up the lineup for their matchup tonight with the Marlins in hopes of jump starting the offense. Freddie Freeman, Marcell Ozuna, and Travis d’Arnaud all moved up a spot to where they hit for the majority of last season with much success. Of course, there is a distinct difference between this year and last — there is no DH in the National League. So, in the long run, I’m not sure if this should be a permanent solution, but perhaps it will change the Braves offensive misfortunate through ten games thus far.
However, when asked whether he might move Ronald Acuña back to the middle of the order to create more RBI opportunities for him, Snitker didn’t leave any doubt with his response.
Snitker when asked if Acuña might move back to the middle of the order at some point this season: "No, I'm done with that."
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) April 13, 2021
When this was initially a substantial conversation two seasons ago, I was a firm believer that Acuña should be hitting in the middle of the lineup behind Freddie Freeman. I’m still not totally convinced I’m wrong on the topic, but I have changed by tone a bit since.
Acuña brings the energy at the top of the lineup. Not only can he get the team on the board with one swing of the bat, but he also puts so much pressure on opponents with his speed. If he gets on with a walk or a single, it’s basically a double because he generally steals second with ease. The tone he sets with his first at-bat of the game almost makes hitting him leadoff worth it. I still say almost because I genuinely believe he would be an RBI machine behind Freeman. However, it doesn’t make any sense to argue it because for at least the foreseeable future, the plan is to keep Acuña batting first.
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