Phillies Opening Day Lineup Revealed, With Some Small Surprises
Opening Day is here. And now we have an opening day lineup too. And while much of it is as we expected, there are some surprises. Here is the Phillies‘ first lineup of the season
Game 1:
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) March 30, 2023
Turner 6
Schwarber DH
Realmuto 2
Hall 3
Castellanos 9
Stott 4
Bohm 5
Cave 7
Marsh 8
Trea Turner leading off is no surprise. There was some thought Kyle Schwarber could still lead off when they first signed Turner. But it quickly became clear that it was Turner’s job. Kyle Schwarber comes in behind him in the two-hole, which is also no surprise. What may surprise some people though is that he is starting the season as the DH. With Rhys Hoskins hurt, and Darick Hall moving to first base, the Phillies do not have a clear candidate for DH. So it will likely just be used to get guys’ days off in the field. Scwarber and Nick Castellanos both leave a lot to be desired as fielders. It would make sense for them to share most of the time at DH, meaning Spring standout Jake Cave could get a lot of at-bats early until Bryce Harper returns.
The next surprise is Darick Hall being all the way up in the clean-up spot. But the Phillies put Hall up there last year too. Against righties, they believe in his power. He hit more home runs per at bat than even Rhys Hoskins last year in his limited role. So it will not be surprising if, vs righties, we see a lot of Hall up in the lineup. It will be more interesting to see what they do vs lefties.
The Phillies will likely mess around with lineup combos early on. But seeing Hall get a chance up in the lineup on Opening Day, and Cave in the lineup on Opening Day, could be vindictive one what we will see for most games.
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