Fowler is coming back from the worst offensive season of his career, and his OBP shriveled almost 100 points down from his career average. He's two seasons removed from the .390 OBP he had for the World Series championship Cubs in 2016 -- the OBP that scored him a five-year offer from the Cardinals and a promise to install him atop their order. His experience as the Cardinals' leadoff hitter was short-lived.

His experience as a No. 2 hitter is shorter.

Fowler has 194 games and 842 appearances at No. 2 in the lineup. He has hit .254/.347/.403 in that spot with a .751 OPS. His greatest success came there in a small sample size from 2017, his first season with the Cardinals. When Carpenter returned to leadoff and Fowler floated around the lineup, he had 13 games at No. 2. There he hit .300/.386/.660 for a 1.046 OPS. He had 15 hits, and five of those were homers.

The career-high power surge from that season came as he moved his way toward the middle of the order.