“I prefer to lead off. I feel like I get better there with more at bats I get,” he said.
Since 2013, Jarrod Dyson has batted significantly better as a Leadoff Hitter (.732 OPS) - more walks, less strike outs, a higher BABiP, homers dissapear but Doubles & Triples go up 50% - than he has otherwise (.682 OPS) (of note: if you are not using Fangraphs Splits Tool and Splits Leaderboard, you're missing out). This makes some sense if you consider that Jarrod Dyson, with his week contact and ability to beat out infield hits, is exactly the kind of player that would rather not see runners on base. What's more, the more often Jarrod Dyson can reach base without someone like probable 8 hole hitter Mike Zunino clogging the basepaths, the more value his speed will have. It could be that a guy with the confidence threshold that Jarrod Dyson seems to have, that feels comfortable with the spotlight, could get a boost from the vote of confidence the Mariners are sending.