Who Should Hit Leadoff For Seattle Mariners in Wake of Victor Robles Injury?
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On Sunday, a bad situation got worse for the Seattle Mariners. The M's lost on a walk-off single against the San Francisco Giants, dropping their record to 3-7. Not only that, but they've lost outfielder Victor Robles, possibly for a while, with a shoulder injury that he sustained while making an unbelievable catch.
You can see the play HERE:
Robles is incredibly difficult to replace for Seattle, as he was hitting .273 in the early going after posting a .328 average in 77 games last year. He also stole 30 bases a year ago, serving as a sparkplug at the top of the order. So, in his absence, who is the best replacement for him in the leadoff position?
We examine:
JULIO RODRIGUEZ
The team's best overall offensive player, Rodriguez is a logical choice. He's hitting just .216 in the early going but he's already got three homers, five RBIs and three stolen bases. Getting him more at-bats is never a bad thing, especially in a week where the M's are facing the division-rival Houston Astros and Texas Rangers.
Rodriguez has hit leadoff before, with 113 games in that spot under his belt. He's a career .295 hitter while hitting leadoff, as opposed to .257 in the two-hole, which is where he's hitting now.
J.P. CRAWFORD
Speaking of leadoff experience, Crawford has that in spades. He's spent 377 games in the leadoff spot, far more than the 99 he's got in the nine-hole, where he's hitting now. He's a career .250 hitter out of the leadoff spot with 36 homers.
He's only hitting .148 through 10 games, but he's got a .361 on-base percentage and has nine walks. His ability to get on-base would be welcome and perhaps the change of order lineup scenery would help get him going.
LUKE RALEY
An outside the box possibility, Raley has both power and sneaky speed. He also can draw a walk as he's posted a .360 on-base percentage in the early going vs. just a .200 batting average. He's got 11 games worth of leadoff experience, hitting .273 in that spot.
Because he doesn't hit lefties well, Raley is not usually in the lineup vs. southpaws, so the M's would be looking at a part-time solution here.
RANDY AROZARENA
From the department of just trying something different, we give you this idea.... Arozarena is hitting only .139 this season but he's often lauded for his clutch moment ability. What is more clutch than starting off a ballgame with some excitement? He's spent 67 games in the leadoff spot for his career, posting a .289 average with 12 homers and 18 stolen bases there. If the M's were to try this, they'd be sacrificing some real middle-of-the-order run production, but hey, them's the breaks.
What do you think? Would you pick any of these four? Someone else?
The Mariners take on the Astros at T-Mobile Park on Monday night. First pitch is 6:40 p.m. PT.
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