Morning everyone and happy Monday!
We’re now two games into the spring schedule and while there’s not much we can really glean from these early contests, we do have some hints about how manager Mark Kotsay plans to write out his lineup this coming season.
Reigning Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz is the Athletics’ best hitter and one would normally think the 3-hole is the spot reserved for the team’s best hitter. The A’s are not your typical team however. When the league zigs, we zag. In that sense it shouldn’t be any surprise that the Athletics are genuinely considering using Kurtz as the primary leadoff man this season.
It’s not an unfamiliar spot for Kurtz, who was in the leadoff spot 18 times in his rookie campaign. He hit .242/.413/.403 with four long balls in that spot. That on-base percentage is to die for but the power wasn’t as prodigious and he’s not exactly a burner on the basepaths either. Not that that is the A’s calling card right now, but you don’t want a Bengie Molina clogging up the basepaths.
Now, Kotsay says that yesterday’s lineup isn’t “set in stone”, and that he’s merely putting Kurtz and Shea Langeliers near the top of the order to get them as many at-bats as possible, but it’s hard to believe that he’s not seriously considering Kurtz atop the lineup when Opening Day rolls around. And frankly, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Langeliers right behind him.
In a sense, it might be genius. Leadoff guys get more at-bats over the course of the season than 3-hole hitters. It might not seem like much but those extra plate appearances really do add up and by the end of the season the leadoff man will likely have dozens more at-bats than guys just a spot or two lower in the batting order. Kotsay even acknowledged this when discussing lineup configurations:
“My opinion, getting the best hitter on the team the most amount of at-bats is productive,” Kotsay said. “Especially when that at-bat comes around the 18th through the 21st out of a game when a starter is going through a lineup a third time, it’s nice to get those guys an opportunity. It presents a leverage situation.
It makes sense in one way, but not in others. Kurtz could very well be a tone-setter for the club but the team could be leaving extra runs on the table just to get him a few extra at-bats. Imagine a world where Jacob Wilson and Jeff McNeil, two slappy on-base machines, get on and set up Kurtz for a three-run bomb in the first inning. That sounds better than a solo shot to start the game to me, but what do I know. We’ll be keeping an eye on where Kurtz hits during this spring but it seems like the A’s have already sort of decided that he’s the best option to leadoff. What do you guys think? Is it genius? Or are the A’s way overthinking this?
Have a great week A’s fans.
A’s Coverage:
- Athletics Drop Second Spring Contest, Fall To Guardians 6-0
- A’s Drop Spring Opener To White Sox 11-2
- Meaningless Stats Begin Today!
- Athletics Community Prospect List: Hoglund Lands at #16
- See you later, soda: A’s Perkins ditches sugar for science
- Bob Melvin returning to Athletics as special advisor
- Can The A’s Young Core Turn Defense Into a Strength?
- Pesky Drawback Of “Closer By Committee” (It Never Really Works)
- Can Kurtz get his glove to match his monster bat?
- Zack Gelof: Outfielder?
- Athletics 2026 Top MLB Prospects Deep Dive
- Waiting For Gelof: What Do We Do?
- “Relievers Are Volatile”… But Why?
- Are The Final Two Rotation Spots Really Up For Grabs?
- Story Lines To Watch As Spring Training Unfolds
MLB News and Interest:
- Guardians reportedly sign first baseman Rhys Hoskins to minor league pact
- Twins’ starter Joe Ryan has lower back inflammation
- Red Sox interested in left-handed bullpen depth
- “He’s gonna be a stud, man”: Harper dishes on MLB’s #1 prospect
- Cardinals sign veteran infielder Ramon Urias to major league deal for 2026
- 2 HR’s in 2 games? Polar Bear knows just how to break the ice with Orioles
- Yankees’ Gerrit Cole reaches 96.9 MPH in 1st session versus hitters
- Freddie Freeman hopes to retire with Dodgers
- Honus Wagner card sells for $5.124 million, third-largest for T206 Wagner card
- Baseball legend Bill Mazeroski passes away at 89
- Today in Baseball History
Best of X:
Sevy gearing up for the WBC:
Baez’s new slider a game-changer?
Not A’s related but funny:
Lin’s spring debut didn’t go all that well: