Pittsburgh Pirates to experiment with John Jaso at leadoff

Over the course of Spring Training, many different lineups are thrown together. Whether it’s by design to get a certain hitter more at bats, or to experiment with slotting different players in different roles, it’s very rare to see a firm lineup until the very last week of camp.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are no different. Aside from Andrew McCutchen‘s lock on the number three spot, the hitters around him are a swirl of possibilities.

One of the more interesting possibilities is being tested in today’s Grapefruit League tilt against the Baltimore Orioles.

There is a lot of thoughts to unpack regarding this lineup, and first among them is John Jaso in the lead-off spot. The accepted thinking is that the first spot in the order would be manned by either Josh Harrison orGregory Polanco. Though both have been used lower in the order often, Jaso may force Clint Hurdle‘s hand to keep the two in the bottom half of the order.

Hitting Jaso first in Spring Training is nothing new, and he performs well there for his career.

Of course, any conversation regarding Jaso’s role as a hitter must carry the obligatory note that he will be hit strictly in a platoon against right-handed pitching. Over his eight-year career, Jaso’s workload between right-handers and left-handers is drastically different.

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