Fifteen games into the season, the Phillies have had their share of issues. However, there continues to be the debate on who should be the leadoff hitter.

Trea Turner has held the top spot, and Kyle Schwarber — who has been productive there — has been thriving in the two hole. Should the Phils move rising rookie Justin Crawford from the nine-hole to the leadoff spot?

Through the years, Schwarber easily would be considered a four- or five-hitter with his power. But analytics has changed the game where the game’s most productive player is in the second spot — like Aaron Judge — or third — see Bryce Harper.

In this version of my Behind the Plate column, I will take a look at some Phillies current and past leadoff and No. 2 hitters, two managers on hot seats, and review the career of a Pleasant Valley pitcher who had a tour with the Tigers’ minor-league system.

Just-in Time? ... Beginning this week, Turner had done a respectable job from the leadoff spot with his one-homer, five-RBI, .254 line. He had a team-leading 16 hits and a .299 OBP with a .644 OPS with 15 strikeouts and four walks.

Crawford had a team-leading .341 average and a .408 OBP. He had an .885 OPS with 15 hits, 10 strikeouts and four walks, but only one RBI.

If the team continues to struggle, Crawford may be moved from his No. 9 spot, and the Phils will have to make more use of his speed (one stolen base).

Yet, Schwarber, despite his 24 strikeouts in 52 at-bats, seems to be a lock hitting second, and the Phils are still trying to find a consistent leadoff hitter.

Who Should Be There? ... In a recent Facebook poll, the question was posed on whether Kyle Schwarber should be the team’s leadoff hitter.

An overwhelming 86 percent of voters believed Schwarber should stay in his current No. 2 spot, while 14 percent thought he should move to the leadoff spot.

Skippers’ Soundoff ... In regards to the poll, a trio of local baseball coaches provided their input.

Joe Marykwas, Jim Thorpe - “I think the No. 2 hole works for him (Schwarber). He gets on base at a .389 clip and hits 40 home runs. They don’t have anyone else with that on-base percentage.”

Tyler Svetik, Palmerton - “Sorry, I don’t really follow them. Let’s go Mets!”

JC Dietz, Lehighton - “As for Kyle Schwarber, No. He needs someone to protect him to get better pitches to hit, and Harper is the only guy that can do that. As a Yankee fan, I am still enjoying the 2009 World Series when the Yankees beat the Philadelphia Phillies when Jimmy Rollins picked the Phillies in six.”

Being Second Wasn’t Bad ... In the 1950s and 60s, Eddie Waitkus and Tony Taylor spent most of their time hitting in the two-hole. They weren’t power hitters and had a low home run total, RBIs in the 40s and 50s, and averages ranging from .250 to 285. Richie Ashburn was your prototypical leadoff man.

When he came up, Larry Bowa hit first and Denny Doyle followed him. Dave Cash took over and became one of the Phillies’ best leadoff hitters, and either Bowa or Bake McBride — who had some power — hit second.

All-time hits leader Jimmy Rollins hit leadoff, but he also spent some time at No. 2 — as did Chase Utley, who eventually slipped to the three hole.

In 1993, the Phils made the most of Mickey Morandini and Mariano Duncan hitting behind Lenny Dykstra. Duncan hit .282 and belted 11 homers with 73 RBIs, while Morandini hit a modest .247, but was better with the glove.

Pioneers ... With most teams having their presumed best overall player or one of their best contact hitters hitting second, some set the early standard.

Derek Jeter made his mark with his .310 career average there, as did Tony Gwynn, who built an OPS of .842 and .338 lifetime average. Pete Rose, known for his leadoff mastery (2,300 games), did spend some time primarily with the Phils, where he was their second hitter in 1980.

Mike Trout has carved out most of his stellar career there, producing 406 homers and a .293 clip.

Sizzlin’ and Fizzlin’ ... Through the first few weeks of the season, here is one man’s opinion of the best and the worst.

There’s plenty of early parity in the American League, with Cleveland and Minnesota having the best record (9-7) being just two games above .500.

Who’s Hot?

1. Dodgers - Andy Pages leads the majors in RBIs (17), and hits (24).

2. Padres - Journeyman Ramon Laureano has four homers, while closer Mason Miller has four saves.

3. Braves - Defending Rookie-of-the-Year catcher Drake Baldwin is having a banner year.

4. Pirates - The Buccos could be the surprise of the year.

5. Guardians - Pitcher Parker Messick is a good fantasy pickup.

Who’s Not?

1. Giants - They have hit eight homers, and Harrison Bader was batting just .114.

2. White Sox - They have a .193 team average, and Munetaka Murakami is hitting ,157 with 22 strikeouts in 51 at-bats.

3. Mets - Rookie Carson Benge hasn’t done much since hitting a homer on opening day. Only Juan Soto and Franciso Lindor (0 RBIs) are returning position players, and it shows.

4. Astros - They have a .275 team batting average, but a 6.75 team ERA.

5. Rockies - They have shown some positives, and ex-Phil Mickey Moniak has found a new home.

Their Seats Are Heating Up ... The watch is officially on for Phils skipper Rob Thomson and Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. Ironically, both of them are likely in trouble for the same reasons.

Both of their teams have been plagued with base-running gaffes, displaced fly balls, lack of patience at the plate, and a lack of aggressiveness at times. Their starting pitching has been relatively effective, and the bullpen has been overall inconsistent.

Yet, the Phils’ starters have an ERA of 4.57, and the Mets are at 4.07.

Mendoza, who came under scrutiny for his in-game decisions last year, kept leading home run hitters Francisco Alvarez and Luis Robert Jr. on the bench in the team’s 1-0 loss to Oakland Sunday. The Mets managed to score six runs, and were shut out twice against Oakland.

Like Mendoza, Thomson has come under speculation with his decisions. The Phils’ recent 20-inning scoreless streak didn’t help matters.

Heading into this week, the Phils were hitting .216 with 127 strikeouts, compared to 101 hits with eight players having double-digit strikeouts and an overall OPS of .664. They have a negative run differential of 65-50.

The Mets had a .242 average with 127 hits and 124 strikeouts, with six players with double-digit strikeouts. They had an OPS of .679. The Mets had a run-differential of a positive 64-62.

Yes, it is still relatively early, and the NL East teams are within two games of each other. Both managers are closing in on the 1/8 pole of the season (20 games), but they both could be in major trouble if their teams are floundering at the 1/4 pole (40 games).

Mendoza appears to be in a deeper hole with new bench coach Kai Correa or Carlos Beltran within reach of taking over.

Readers Write

Time for a change

Dear Jeff,

I think it is a crazy idea to just throw the names in a hat and then select the lineup at random. At this point, no one is hitting, so it doesn’t matter who bats where.

It is absolutely frustrating! There is no plate discipline, and they are always trying to hit home runs. They are not playing small ball to try to get runners on base and move runners.

It’s time to think about Topper and the hitting coach (Kevin Long).

Melissa Hager

Lehighton

Stay the Course

Dear Jeff,

I would keep Turner at the leadoff spot and Schwarber second. I never like him (Schwarber) leading off when they have done it in the past.

Ben Thomas

Bethlehem

Scrapbook ... In each column, I will look back at the career of a former local standout.

Aaron Fuhrman was an outstanding strikeout pitcher for Pleasant Valley in the early 2000s, as he helped lead the Bears to three Mountain Valley Conference titles and went 7-0 with a 1.48 ERA in 40 innings, striking out 70, walking 18 and allowing 21 hits in his senior season.

He was offered a scholarship to continue his career at the University of Pittsburgh.

Instead, Fuhrman decided to begin a minor-league career as a 23rd round pick of the Tigers in the 2006 draft.

In his second season with the Tigers’ rookie A-team in the Gulf League, Fuhrman made 11 starts and posted a 2-7 record with a 5.25 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 60 innings and a shutout.

The following season, Fuhrman split time with A-league West Michigan and Oneonta of the New York-Penn League. At Oneonta, Fuhrman went 3-3 with a 4.17 ERA in 12 games (one start) over 36.2 innings.

His final stint was in 2009 with Washington of the Frontier League, where he went 1-2 with a 7.66 ERA over 11 games (three starts) with 13 strikeouts and 16 walks in 22.1 innings.

Your comments are always welcomed and will be published;email them to tnsports@tnonline.com.