Should the Dodgers move Shohei Ohtani out of the leadoff spot?
By Max Weisman
Shohei Ohtani said goodnight to the New York Mets Wednesday night at Citi Field. With the Los Angeles Dodgers holding a 4-0 lead in the top of the eighth inning, Ohtani hit a monster three-run home run 397 feet down the right-field line. The ball left the bat at almost 116 miles per hour.
The home run put the game away -- the Dodgers won 8-0 to take a 2-1 series lead -- but it also continued a troubling trend for the likely National League MVP. During the playoffs, Ohtani is now 7-for-9 with runners on base but 0-for-22 with the bases empty.
The odd Shohei Ohtani streak continues.
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) October 17, 2024
He's 7-for-9 with runners on base this postseason.
He's 0-for-22 with the bases empty.
When runners are in scoring position, he's pretty much unstoppable. What a huge swing for the NL MVP.pic.twitter.com/n7UvQw4Swz
The stark difference in Ohtani's stats with runners on vs. bases empty brings up an interesting question that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is no doubt thinking about. Should Shohei Ohtani continue to lead off for the Los Angeles Dodgers?
Ohtani led the Dodgers in batting average during the regular season at .310 and in on-base percentage at .390. The thought process in baseball nowadays is the player who gets on base the most should lead off, so putting Ohtani in that position in the order makes sense. As Ohtani continues to struggle with no ducks on the pond, though, it couldn't hurt moving him down in the lineup.
Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts had a .289 batting average and a .372 on-base percentage, second and third on the team, respectively. Betts has been hitting second all postseason, hitting .200 with two home runs and six RBI, compared to Ohtani's two homer eight RBI performance.
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It would seem silly to move the best player in the world out of the leadoff position, but if he's hitting 7-for-9 with runners on base in the playoffs, giving Ohtani more opportunities to hit in that situation seems smart.
Los Angeles hasn't yet released its lineup for Game 4, which will begin at 8:08 p.m. from Citi Field, but there have been no rumblings about Ohtani being slotted out of the leadoff position. Thursday's Game 4 is somewhat of a must-win for the Mets, who can't afford to go down 3-1 to the Dodgers.
The Mets are expected to start Jose Quintana, who pitched five shutout innings against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of the NLDS. The Mets won 4-1 to move on to Los Angeles, and they'll need a similar performance from Quintana on Thursday night to tie the series.
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