Finding Pirates leadoff hitter has Derek Shelton searching for signs of consistency

For all his lineup shuffling this season, Derek Shelton had tinkered the least with the first spot in the batting order. The Pittsburgh Pirates manager used only four hitters there, starting with Kevin Newman, then Adam Frazier and Cole Tucker before trying out Erik Gonzalez.

That changed Friday, when Shelton approached Bryan Reynolds during the first game of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals with a question: Have you ever hit leadoff?

“Typical Reynolds, he’s like, ‘I don’t remember,’ ” Shelton said. “But he can do it. The mindset thing is just getting guys used to anything.”

With Frazier given the day off, Shelton wanted a left-handed bat atop the order against Cardinals right-hander Daniel Ponce de Leon. So he selected the switch-hitting Reynolds, who was batting .172 but had a .273 on-base percentage and a discerning eye.

“I just thought it would be a good spot for him,” Shelton said. “He had good swings.”

Reynolds shrugged when he saw his name atop the lineup for the first time in his major league career, then went 2 for 3 with a two-run homer in the 7-2 loss in Game 2. Typical Reynolds. It was a performance that earned him a second consecutive start atop the lineup Saturday.

“I’ve done it probably a handful of times in my career. I don’t know exactly how many, but I’m relatively comfortable there,” Reynolds said of batting leadoff. “I’m open to whatever.”

This shortened season has Shelton searching for signs of stability, and the Pirates are using the final stretch of the season as an opportunity for players to audition and the staff to make evaluations. That starts with settling on a leadoff hitter, someone who can set the tone.

“I think we would like to find one,” Shelton said. “I think that’s one of the spots where you’d like to have consistency.”

Ideally, the leadoff hitter will have a combination of speed, power and the ability to get on base, though not necessarily in that order. Shelton used former Cleveland Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore as an example of an ideal leadoff hitter. Sizemore had a career .349 on-base percentage, hit 150 home runs and, from 2005-08, averaged nearly 29 steals. Sizemore also drew 110 walks in 2007 and 98 the following year.

“I think the ability to get on base is probably the most important,” Shelton said. “It doesn’t have to be a speed guy because there’s not a lot of running that goes on in the game anymore. If you have a guy there that gets on base a ton and can steal a ton of bags, yeah, it truly helps out a lot and it helps your two-hole hitter because of how he’s going to be pitched. But I think if we were isolating one of the things, it would be the ability to get on base.”

Frazier (78 games) and Newman (74) split the role almost evenly last season, but Newman was dropped after two games. Frazier has the most starts in the leadoff spot this season (22), not so much because of his .224 batting average but rather his .301 on-base percentage.

Frazier has a career .316 OBP while batting leadoff but has fared best in the No. 7 hole, with a slash line of .349/.388/.523. Frazier said his approach stays the same, no matter where he hits: find a pitch he can drive and do some damage on it.

“When you’re hitting first rather than second, the pitcher may not have found his groove,” Frazier said. “You can catch one over the middle before he settles in a little bit.”

That Frazier has a .247 OBP while batting leadoff, however, is why Gonzalez was given a look in late August. Gonzalez had a .313 OBP with six doubles and nine RBIs through the first 14 games. Promising numbers, but they came with an indicator: He had nine strikeouts and no walks. Over the next 13 games while batting leadoff, Gonzalez saw his batting average slip to .220 with a double, a triple and two homers, striking out 15 times while drawing five walks.

Given his preference, Gonzalez would rather bat lower in the lineup.

“When it comes to where I hit, generally, I don’t mind. Wherever they put me, I’m going to give it my all. I feel comfortable in whatever position they put me,” Gonzalez said through interpreter Mike Gonzalez. “However, if they put me fifth or sixth, I really enjoy that. I have more opportunity to be able to bring in runs.”

Aside from Reynolds’ cameo, Tucker has the smallest sample size. In five starts at leadoff, he is slashing .238/.292/.381 this season. In nine career games, the numbers are better: .278/.308/.472 with a double, two homers and eight RBIs. But Tucker is on the seven-day concussion injured list after slipping and hitting his head in Cincinnati.

“Anytime I’m in the lineup I want to show that I belong and that I can contribute — but in the leadoff spot especially,” Tucker said last month. “There’s a little chip on your shoulder when you bat leadoff. You lead off the game, and you set the tone for the lineup. I really enjoy doing that, and it’s something that I’m comfortable with, just from coming through the minor leagues. I don’t know if audition is the right word, but you definitely get up a little bit more for it, that’s for sure.”

Newman is the curiosity. He slashed .328/.374/.502 with 13 doubles, five triples and 11 home runs in the leadoff spot last season but was dropped in the order after going 1 for 8 in the first two games. He’s batting .229 with a .281 OBP this season.

And Shelton has yet to try Ke’Bryan Hayes in the top spot, though it might only be a matter of time. The rookie third baseman has climbed from seventh to third to second in the order.

For now, Shelton’s search for a leadoff hitter continues.

“We have fluctuated a lot of guys through there to try to find the right mix,” Shelton said. “As much as we tease about the lineups and you guys like to ask about them, when you see lineups function properly, you have a bunch of guys that are doing their job and getting on base and hitting. One of the things we’re trying to do right now is we’re trying to find that formula.”