As the years go on, teams continue to try and find the next thing that will give them a competitive advantage. Whether it be the shift, left-handed specialist, or any number other things, teams will do whatever they can to get the win.
That even falls into how the manager constructs their lineup. Traditionally, the leadoff hitter is one of the faster player on the team, capable of getting on-base and being a threat to run. As the game has evolved, and people started to look at the game more analytically, they realized it was better to prioritize the player with the best on-base skills, even if he wasn’t the fastest of players.