Mets' Collins moves Cespedes to No. 2 hole following success of Bryant, Trout

New York Mets manager Terry Collins is hoping Yoenis Cespedes can channel some of the greats in a new lineup spot.

Collins moved his superstar up to the No. 2 slot in the order - a spot he hasn't hit out of since September 2015 - for the Mets' game Friday night against the Washington Nationals.

According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, the manager explained that he decided to hit Cespedes - who's hit a scorching .438/.438/.750 since returning from the disabled list June 10 - higher after watching what last year's league MVPs, Mike Trout and Kris Bryant, have done hitting out of that spot.

"He's in an elite group," Collins told DiComo of his Cuban slugger.

Trout and Bryant are just two of several superstar sluggers in baseball who are bucking the long-held trends and hitting in the leadoff or No. 2 holes. Josh Donaldson, the 2015 AL MVP, is another example, having hit second ever since joining Toronto three years ago. In another even odder move, the Cubs moved slugging first baseman Anthony Rizzo up to hit leadoff behind Bryant earlier this week. It paid off right away, as Rizzo hit leadoff homers in games on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Cespedes - who's mostly hit third in the order this season - has hit second in just 37 games during his six-year career. All of those previous appearances as a No. 2 hitter came in 2015, with both the Mets and Detroit Tigers. He owns a career .928 OPS out of that spot, with 14 homers and 25 extra-base hits.