Orioles' Davis hitting leadoff for 1st time in career in season opener

The Baltimore Orioles are trying something new on Opening Day.

Manager Buck Showalter's lineup for the season opener will feature slugging first baseman Chris Davis hitting in the leadoff spot, ahead of fellow sluggers Manny Machado and Adam Jones.

"Sometimes, you've got to give a new toy, something that signifies a new start," Showalter said of the move, according to Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun.

This will be the first time in his career that Davis has hit out of the one hole. He's been placed in the No. 2 spot 17 times, but has primarily hit fourth (305 games) owing to his home-run power. According to Baseball-Reference, he's just the third first baseman in the last 20 years to hit leadoff on Opening Day.

Davis is hitting leadoff despite the fact that his on-base percentage dipped last season, from .332 in 2016 to .309 in '17. Over 128 games last year, the 32-year-old hit just .215 with a 95 OPS+ while battling through some injuries, though he still hit 26 homers and walked 61 times.