The Philadelphia Phillies should not change who is in the leadoff spot in 2025. Kyle Schwarber should remain in the role after his statistically interesting 2024 season. Schwarber set a major league record for leadoff home runs last year. However there has been some discussion this offseason that the Phillies might move Schwarber out of the leadoff spot. Phillies manager Rob Thomson has indicated this offseason that someone else might be the Phillies leadoff hitter in 2025. Bryson Stott will most likely take over the role if the Phillies go ahead with it, given the way their roster is constructed. Stott hit leadoff in 10 games during the 2024 season. That came while Schwarber was on the injured list.
Stability in the Leadoff Role is Crucial for the Phillies
The Phillies have five left-handed hitters projected to be in their lineup against right-handed pitchers complicates things. Trea Turner hitting leadoff is not as likely because of that. Bryce Harper was in the leadoff spot for some games in 2019. Lochlahn Marsh of the Philadelphia Inquirer suggested that the Phillies should have Harper bat leadoff in 2025. If Harper hits leadoff, then Schwarber would likely bat third with Turner remaining second in the order. Schwarber should not be moved out of the leadoff role. However, if the Phillies do it, having Harper bat first is the best alternative. Keeping Schwarber, Turner, and Harper first through third in the order is important. Those three are the most reliable players to have in that part of the order.
Phillies Leadoff Hitter Should Not Change In 2025
In the 10 games Stott batted first in the order last season, he had a .205/.273/.231 line with no home runs as well as three RBI. Stott drew four walks in those 10 games. While it is a 39-at-bat sample size, a .504 OPS is not great. Stott has a career .315 OBP, which is not ideal for a potential leadoff hitter. Stott needs a bounce-back year, and moving him to first in the batting order is not the best move. Last season, according to Baseball Savant, Stott ranked in the 64th percentile in walk rate. Stott has a 7.6% career walk rate. In 2024, Stott had a career-best 9.3% walk rate. For comparison, Harper has a 14.6% career walk rate. Meanwhile, Turner has a 6.8% career walk rate. Harper has the best OBP and walk rate of the alternate options.
In addition to setting the leadoff home run record, Schwarber led the NL in walks last season. Schwarber walked 106 times last season. Baseball Savant ranked Schwarber in the 99th percentile in walk rate for 2024. Schwarber has 318 walks since joining the Phillies in 2022. That ranks as the third most in baseball in that span. Schwarber ranks fourth among qualified hitters with a 15.3% walk rate since 2022. Furthermore, Schwarber has a .343 OBP in his career. Schwarber has a 14.1% career walk rate. Last season, Schwarber had a .248/.366/.486 line with 38 home runs and 104 RBI in the leadoff spot. Schwarber had the best walk rate of any player with at least 500 plate appearances out of the leadoff spot last season. In addition, Schwarber has a 130 wRC+ out of the leadoff spot on the Phillies.
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