Is leadoff spot holding Marte back?

Starling Marte gives Pirates fans a lot to be excited about. Marte currently leads the Pirates in OBP (.376), batting average (.309), hits (55), stolen bases (10), and runs (33). Marte plays above average defense in PNC Park’s spacious left field and he has an arm strong enough to make the opposing dugout strongly consider not running the bases aggressively when the ball is in his hands.

Despite Marte’s uncanny success hitting to lead off a game, I question whether batting Marte in the leadoff position is holding him back from blossoming into a McCutchen-esque superstar? If the Pirates have a significant weakness in the lineup, it’s the lack of a true leadoff hitter. Marte has assumed that role admirably and has certainly provided a spark to the top of the lineup, but you have to wonder how much more productive Marte could be if he were hitting in a position to drive in runs (maybe 3rd or 5th) instead of leadoff.

There’s nobody on the Pirates current roster that is a prototypical leadoff hitter. In the coming seasons, it would be interesting to see Marte and McCutchen hitting back to back in the lineup. Surprisingly enough, a quick comparison at both players’ MiLB numbers show very similar statistics:

Marte – Total AB’s (1796), BA (.303), HR (39), RBI (240), OBP (.361), OPS (.823)
McCutchen - Total AB’s (1967), BA (.286), HR (43), RBI (232), OBP (.362), OPS (.785)

Minor league statistics may not be the greatest predictor of MLB production, but the similarities are eye opening. If the Pirates can somehow find a productive leadoff hitter, the Marte / McCutchen tandem in the middle of the lineup may finally be one that opposing hitters will fear. Until then, we may be seeing only a glimpse of Marte's capabilities.