Red Sox: This stat shows Kyle Schwarber is a dangerous leadoff hitter

Kyle Schwarber does damage when he leads off for the Red Sox

Kyle Schwarber doesn’t fit the profile of a typical leadoff hitter but he has thrived when tasked with the role and he can provide some pop at the top of the Boston Red Sox lineup.

Schwarber has been part of a rotating crew filling the leadoff spot while Kike Hernandez is sidelined on the COVID-IL. He put the Red Sox on the board Friday night when he led off the first inning with a 428-foot solo shot to deep center against Cleveland’s Cal Quantrill.

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Schwarber’s power gives the Red Sox a dangerous leadoff hitter

This was the major league-leading eighth home run leading off the first inning of a game this season for Schwarber, who spent time in the role with the Washington Nationals prior to the deadline deal that shipped him to Boston.

Schwarber has led off in the first inning for his team 25 times this season. He’s batting a scorching .480 with a 1.480 OPS in his first plate appearance of those games. Naturally, you can’t drive home anyone aside from yourself in that situation so his eight RBIs matches his home run total.

The sample size remains relatively small but Schwarber has thrived in the leadoff role this season, hitting .312 in 107 plate appearances. His .882 SLG and 1.274 OPS lead all major league hitters with 100+ plate appearances in the leadoff spot.

The All-Star has been outstanding no matter where the Red Sox have put him in the lineup. In the 18 games since he was acquired from Washington, Schwarber is hitting .344/.468/.609 with four home runs and eight RBI.

He missed half the month while recovering from a hamstring injury but Schwarber led the American League with a .492 OBP in August (minimum 50 plate appearances). He was second among Red Sox hitters last month with a .340 average and third with a .600 SLG.

Schwarber drove in the go-ahead runs in the seventh inning of an eventual 8-5 victory against Cleveland with a two-run double. His three RBI for the night were the most he’s collected in a single game with the Red Sox.

Boston’s bats did plenty of damage outside of the contributions from their leadoff hitter. Kevin Plawecki, Jonathan Arauz and Hunter Renfroe all went deep. It was the 13th time this season that the Red Sox have hit 4+ homers in a game, which leads the majors. Boston is 13-0 in those games.

A powerful bat like Schwarber’s seems like it belongs in the middle of the order but he’s proven himself as a strong option for the leadoff spot. The primary responsibility of a leadoff hitter is to get on base and Schwarber does that at a high clip. Hernandez probably reclaims his spot at the top of the lineup when he’s healthy but Schwarber provides the Red Sox with viable alternative.