San Diego Padres: Three candidates to leadoff this year

Tommy Pham

As a player who’s demonstrated the ability to be a high on-base guy, Tommy Pham is a solid option as the Padres’ leadoff man. And while he’s been limited to a 50-game sample as a leadoff man in his professional career, he’s also never been on a roster this deep.

Sure, the St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays are respectable organizations, but the former was in a bit of a transition period when Pham was there, and the Rays have always preferred pitching over the offense.

In his career, Pham has primarily batted from the second spot in the lineup, slashing .295/.382/.481 (107 OPS+) in 291 games. He’s hit from every other spot in the lineup, but none with as much success near the top of the order.

And of note, he has a 1.105 career OPS on first pitches, which could be invaluable to start the game when pitchers are usually trying to get a first-pitch fastball to start their evening.

With Pham’s work ethic and his ability to get on base, he would be the ideal leadoff hitter for this Padres’ lineup, followed by Tatis, Macado, and the rest of the boppers.