Trea Turner on Potentially Batting Leadoff: ‘It’s Always Been Fun for Me’

In a Spring Training devoid of key roster battles, one potential change we might see with the Philadelphia Phillies when they head north at the end of March will be to the top of their lineup.

The team has been toying with the possibility of moving Trea Turner to the top spot in the lineup and moving Kyle Schwarber out of the leadoff position.

"I don't think it's set in stone that I am leading off," Turner recently said on MLB Network.

Turner has plenty of experience hitting in the No. 1 spot in the order; in fact he has been penciled into the leadoff spot in 487 games, more than any other spot in the lineup. Overall, his leadoff numbers are better than any other spot he has hit in the lineup, hitting .302 with 69 home runs, 224 RBI, 156 stolen bases, and a .351 on-base-precentage.

"It's always been fun for me," Turner admitted. I like scoring runs, I think I can score runs with the best of them. If that's what they want me to do, I'm happy to do it.  I've done it early in my career. I like putting pressure on the other team."

This year, Turner might display the table-setting ability that helped the Washington Nationals win a World Series in 2019 when he hit leadoff. That season, Turner hit .298 with 19 home runs, 57 RBI, 35 stolen bases, and a .353 on-base percentage.

The next question would be what to do with Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.  They could hit back-to-back, or Rob Thomson could split their left-handed hitting bats with Alec Bohm.

Many have argued that while the team has had success with Schwarber hitting in the leadoff spot, his power is being wasted, with many of his home runs being solo shots. Could moving him behind guys like Turner, Harper, and Bohm allow him to have more opportunities with runners on base?

We might find out this season.

For Tuesday's Grapefruit League game, Schwarber is hitting No. 4 with Harper in the No. 2 hole and Bohm between them at No. 3.