© Patrick McDermott-USA TODAY Sports
With plenty of questions remaining for the San Francisco Giants as their first Spring Training game nears, Marty Lurie gave his answer to who should hit in the leadoff spot on KNBR Monday morning.
“If I had to start the season today, and I think it might be this way anyway, but I think McCutchen is the leadoff hitter,” Lurie said.
With 236 games hitting leadoff in his career, in which he batted .277 with a .357 OBP and 30 home runs, McCutchen stands out to Lurie as the Giants’ leading candidate for that role in 2018. Yet, McCutchen hasn’t batted first in the lineup since 2011, spending most of his time batting third over the last six years.
“Right now, it’s McCutchen,” Lurie said. “If you put Austin Jackson in there against right-handed pitching, not so good. I don’t think you can trust Duggar or Gregor Blanco to be the leadoff hitter.”
Although Gregor Blanco has the numbers in the leadoff spot, starting 331 career games atop the lineup, he lacks the success that McCutchen boasts, batting only .254 with a .340 OBP and 294 strikeouts.
Steven Duggar’s name comes with a lot of potential, but his talents are yet to be proven in the major leagues and the leadoff spot isn’t the greatest place to put a rookie. He’s expected to debut with the Giants sometime this season, but there’s no guarantee he’ll start the season on their roster.
As for Jackson, he appears to be McCutchen’s top competitor for the leadoff position. He has the numbers with 678 games leading off and a .275 batting average in those games, but his role as a platoon outfielder is his most deterring factor.
“I think McCutchen gives them a tremendous dimension,” Lurie said. “Because if you get a couple people in that eight or nine spot and he comes up, he can do some damage, but he’s got to get it going. He’s got speed, can steal a bag. He’s good hitter.”
To listen to the full interview check out the podcast below, and skip to 11:32 for Lurie on the McCutchen.