Cincinnati Reds host the Chicago Cubs in a division showdown

Reds pitchers will see plenty of Kris Bryant, who’s batting leadoff.

New Cubs skipper David Ross has not been afraid to try some interesting combinations at the top of his batting order to open the 2020 season. Even though he doesn’t fit the traditional mold of a leadoff hitter, Ross has had his slugging All-Star third baseman Kris Bryant occupying the top stop.

Dig a little deeper and you can understand the reasoning behind Ross’ unorthodox approach. For starters, the former Rookie of the Year and MVP owns a career .383 on-base percentage, which ranks sixth among all active players.

The Cubs don’t have anyone on their roster who meets the criteria of a typical leadoff hitter (speed on the base paths with a high on-base percentage). As a result, you might as well put the guy who gets on base the most at the top of the order.

The Cubs are no strangers to inserting power hitters into the leadoff spot. In the past, Kyle Schwarber, who’s from Middletown, Ohio, by the way, occupied the spot on occasion during former manager Joe Maddon’s tenure with the club.

How are things going so far with the Bryant experiment? So far, not very well. Granted it’s only three games, but Bryant is just 1-for-14 with six strikeouts and zero walks to start the season. Obviously, he’s going to snap out of it, but I’m sure a .071 batting average and OBP is not what Ross envisioned when he made this decision.

However, Bryant has found the Queen City one of his favorite places to visits. His six career home runs are the most he’s hit in any visiting ballpark. Toss in a .388 career OBP at Great American Ball Park, and when Bryant’s not jogging around the bases chances are you’ll see him occupying one of the others.