Atlanta Braves: Jurickson Profar lined the first pitch he saw this spring into the right-field corner for a double yesterday. Profar’s exciting debut in a Braves uniform had the announcers discussing his stellar OBP last year for the Padres.

Profar had a breakout season at age 31. Should he be able to sustain the numbers he put up in 2024, he seems like the perfect candidate to hit leadoff for the Braves, at least until Ronald Acuna Jr. returns to the lineup.

Why Profar Makes a Great Leadoff Hitter

Jurickson Profar posted a .380 OBP in 2024. That mark was higher than any player on the Braves, and Atlanta has some excellent OBP guys in the lineup. Marcell Ozuna led the team with a .378 OBP, followed by Jorge Soler at .356, and Ronald Acuna Jr. with a .351 OBP. Granted, Acuna’s career OBP is .379 and he finished with a .416 during his 2023 MVP campaign.

If Profar can get on base the way he did last year (85 walks with a .280 average), he could do more than just hold down the spot while Acuna is away.

Why Profar Could Keep the Leadoff Spot When Acuna Returns

If Profar can get on base at a .380 clip, he could be the ideal player to push Acuna down in the lineup one spot. With Acuna’s power, imagine the runs he could drive in from the two-hole with Profar on base in front of him. Remember, Acuna drove in 106 runs in 2023 from the leadoff spot.

That means every game began with a guarantee that nobody was on base for him. After the start of the game, Acuna has to rely on the bottom of the lineup to get on base so he can drive them in.

Ronald is an elite power hitter. Acuna’s career slugging percentage is .525. He has a 162-game average of 33 doubles and 37 homers. In 2023 he had eight homers and 10 doubles to lead off the game. He had 53 hits in 159 at-bats to lead off a game. He walked 19 times as the first batter of the game.

21.6% of his plate appearances in that MVP season led off the game with nobody on base in front of him. Any time someone was on base for Acuna they were bottom of the lineup guys and had to be after the first plate appearance. He still knocked in 106 runs that season.

If Profar can keep getting on base at an elite clip, do you think it’s time to move Acuna’s power bat to the two-hole? How many RBI do you think Acuna would have? Let us know in the comments below!