The idea of hitting Carlos Santana leadoff is certainly an interesting one, but that movement hasn’t gained much ground just yet in Indians manager Terry Francona’s mind.
Francona admitted this spring it’s something he’s kicked around, but only as a thought. He recently had the Indians analytical department look at it, and the results weren’t anything that would force his hand.
“I thought statistically that it would really lean more toward him (hitting leadoff) than I even thought, and it really didn’t,” Francona told reporters in Goodyear, Ariz. “I don’t think it’s a bad idea, but it wasn’t like, ‘Oh, you’ve got to do it.