ATLANTA -- Walt Weiss was asked if he had tossed and turned all night while determining the exact construction of his first lineup as the Braves’ manager.
“I slept good last night actually,” Weiss said. “I went around a few different ways with the lineup. I had about two or three written on paper. I went with this one for a few different reasons. I'm sure y'all will ask why, but I feel good about our lineup.”
When the Braves posted their lineup for Friday night’s Opening Day matchup against the Royals, the biggest surprise was Ozzie Albies slotting into the third spot, between Drake Baldwin and cleanup hitter Matt Olson.
Albies immediately proved his manager right when he clobbered a solo homer down the left-field line in the first inning at Truist Park.
Albies was once a menace to left-handed pitchers. So, maybe it shouldn’t have been surprising to see the second baseman fill a key lineup spot against Royals starter Cole Ragans.
But Albies had just a .708 OPS in 186 plate appearances from the right side of the plate last year.
So, why would Weiss do this while moving Olson to the fourth spot and Austin Riley to the fifth spot? Riley had a .940 OPS against southpaws in 2023, the most recent year he remained healthy over the entire season.
Well, speaking of health, Albies’ struggles last year were influenced by the fractured left wrist he suffered in July 2024. Weiss’ choice to put Albies in the third spot shows he is confident in the switch-hitter’s ability to get back to where he was in 2023, when he had a 1.023 OPS in 128 at-bats against left-handers. This topped the 1.099 OPS he had constructed from the plate’s right side in 2019.
“I want to put Ozzie in position to get as many right-handed at-bats as possible,” Weiss said. “They're going to target Baldwin and Olson with their [left-handed relievers]. So, you know, there's a price to pay with Ozzie sitting there in between them.”
Throughout Spring Training, Weiss said he would be comfortable putting the left-handed-hitting duo of Baldwin and Olson back-to-back in the lineup. In fact, the two will likely be positioned next to each other, hitting second and third, respectively, against right-handed starters.
But if Albies can get back to the threat he was a couple years ago against lefties, then it certainly makes sense to split Baldwin and Olson, to make them less susceptible to left-handed relievers.
There’s also reason to argue Riley should be hitting higher against lefties. But again, his placement there could prove beneficial when opposing managers begin mixing and matching.
If an opponent brings a right-handed reliever out of the bullpen to face Riley and they have to remain in the game for at least three batters, this would give Weiss a chance to bring Mike Yastrzemski off the bench to pinch-hit for Eli White, who was slated in the sixth spot of Thursday’s lineup. White will play left field when Yastrzemski sits against left-handed starters.