Every sabermetric guy under the sun will tell you batting one of the worst On Base Percentage (OBP) guys in major-league baseball at the top of your lineup is a bad idea. They’ll tell you that the leadoff hitter takes more at bats than any player on your roster. They’ll point to computer models that show teams will score more runs with a high OBP player batting no. 1.
They’ll laugh at the idea that hitting a low-OBP hitter at the top can gain some kind of intangible advantage. If you point to the Kansas City Royals and their two consecutive pennants with career .