Analysis | The Nationals want Juan Soto to bat second. Here’s why it just might work.

All fair. All worth answering at some point. But what stood out most Wednesday was Soto batting second in front of Cruz. Martinez seems to believe the 23-year-old star should hit there. A few hours before the exhibition, he told reporters that he’s in the process of convincing Soto the No. 2 spot is the place for him. He even gave a window into his pitch.“I got to sell him on it,” Martinez said. “He likes hitting third.

Those players were not MVPs because they batted second. They batted second because they were MVP candidates, which is really the crux of Martinez’s argument. Modern baseball thinking says you put your best hitter after your leadoff man. One element of that is the simple fact that he’ll get more plate appearances across the season than most teammates. Another element is that studies show No. 2 hitters have the most chances to affect the final score of a game.

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