Leadoff hitter revolution is bringing slow, power guys up front

On May 1, these players were leadoff hitters in MLB games: Kyle Schwarber, Mike Moustakas, Seth Smith, Carlos Santana, Michael Conforto and George Springer. Among this group are power hitters, two former catchers, three guys who would generously be described as slow, and one guy who is a slow, power-hitting former catcher coming off knee surgery.

The changing face of the leadoff hitter is a revolution that has long been called for by statistical analysts, stressing that getting on base is a more important factor in scoring runs than speed and the ability to steal bases. What’s interesting with some of the players above is that managers are willing to toss aside any notion of convention by…