Nats manager open to Harper batting leadoff

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Batting leadoff ... Bryce Harper?

Nationals manager Dave Martinez is open to the idea.

"Maybe," said Martinez on Thursday, one week before Opening Day. "We'll talk about it, play with it. Before I do it, I'll definitely have a conversation with him."

That's exactly what Martinez did last Saturday, when Harper hit leadoff in a Grapefruit League game against the Mets, his one and only time batting first this spring.

"I said, 'How would you like leading off?' He looked at me and he goes, 'Yeah, I wanna do it."

One of the game's most powerful hitters, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Harper spent most of last season batting third. Despite missing six weeks due to a knee injury, he…