Padres could benefit from moving batting champ down in order

The Padres offense currently ranks around the middle of the league in most offensive categories, despite having one bonafide MVP candidate in the lineup (and two more who will likely receive votes). Over the course of the MLB season, it makes sense to give your best, most impactful hitters as many at-bats as possible. For the Padres, that is Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill (who may be the best of the bunch).

It is most certainly not Luis Arraez, even when he is winning batting titles. Traditional thinking would have most thinking Arraez should be leading off or hitting second (where he currently spends most of his starts). However, with three bats as big as the Padres' have, Arraez needs to be moved down to make way for the best hitters.

Arraez hits the ball well, obviously. He does not walk. He does not run the bases well. And he brings very little power to the plate. While it goes nearly the opposite direction of traditional thinking, Mike Schildt should move Arraez to the cleanup spot in the batting order, behind Merrill, Machado, and Tatis.

The first reason goes back to the aforementioned elite trio of batters the Padres have. All three of those batters can single-handedly get the Padres on the board to start the game. They all are posting an OPS+ above 132, putting them amongst the best hitters in baseball. Machado and Tatis Jr. each have over 20 extra-base hits, with Merrill posting 12 in just 30 games.

So apart of them being able to score on their own, this move would also play into the best of Arraez's abilities. Let's say Merrill gets on base, but Tatis Jr. and Machado get out. Arraez is a career .360 hitter with men on base, as opposed to a .299 when the bases are empty. With men on - especially someone with the speed of Merrill - defenses are stretched out and Arraez can do what he does best and get the ball through gaps.

And if the Padres go down in order to start the game, you have a three-time batting champ at the plate to try and get things going for the bottom half of the lineup. Even if he is a sub-par baserunner, Arraez on first forces defenses to adjust and avoid shifting as much as they would with empty basepaths.

Luis Arraez has had a somewhat down year given his track record. Nonetheless, he is still posting an OPS+ of 106, putting him just above league average. However, given the Padres' three stars, he needs to move down to the cleanup spot and redefine the position in the batting order as the Padres chase the Dodgers in the National League West and teeter between buying and selling at the deadline.