Do you want Roman Anthony to hit leadoff for the Red Sox?

"One thing the sabermetric revolution has taught us is that batting order doesn't matter all that much. At least, not in the traditional sense of putting a speedy runner at the the top, someone who can handle the bat and move him over second, and power hitters in the middle. The general consensus now is that a team's best hitter should hit second with a high-OBP hitter in front of him."

"But, ultimately, batting order doesn't have a significant impact on the number of runs a team scores over the course of the season, and the best thing a team can do is arrange the lineup such that its best hitters get as many at-bats as possible. Roman Anthony is the best hitter on the Red Sox, and he did spend most of last season in the leadoff spot, a strategy that works pretty well for the defending champions."

Sabermetrics indicate batting order has minimal seasonal impact, and lineups should maximize top hitters' plate appearances. Conventional wisdom favors a team's best hitter batting second with a high-OBP batter leading. Roman Anthony is identified as the Red Sox's best hitter and spent much of last season as leadoff, a setup that suits the defending champions. Manager Alex Cora announced Willson Contreras will bat cleanup and suggested Anthony, Jarren Duran, and Trevor Story will occupy the top three, though exact order remains undecided. Left-right balance and Story's lower OBP constrain placement options, producing tradeoffs between back-to-back lefties and increased two-out, nobody-on first-inning at-bats.

Read at Over the Monster