JUPITER, Fla. • If there has been a constant for Matt Carpenter as he’s explored and experimented the past three seasons with who he can be as a hitter, it’s where he hit in the lineup and how he feels about staying there.
When he led the league in hits, he batted leadoff. When he led the league in walks a year later, he batted leadoff. He twice made the National League All-Star team and while he did it at two different positions in the field, why, he was still always at leadoff. When, in 2015, he led the Cardinals in home runs and RBIs, he did so from the leadoff spot.