Phillies 2024 Opening Day lineup prediction 1.0

The Philadelphia Phillies major league roster is seemingly set, with the exception of some roster spot battles on the fringes. The Phillies will be going into the 2024 season with much of the same everyday players that the 2023 team rolled out there.

The 2023 version won 90 games and secured the first wild card spot, but also finished 14 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the NL East crown. Even though the 2023 team found success, there is a good chance that Rob Thomson will shake up the lineup. Even if he ends up reverting back to what worked last year, the beginning of the season is the best time to experiment because there’s time to recover.

While most players will be the same, the major difference will be that Bryce Harper is healthy at the start of the season and able to play in the field. That opens up the DH spot for someone like Kyle Schwarber and an outfield position for someone else.

Of course, the big change is Schwarber moving to the fifth spot. Last year, the power hitting lefty hit 29 of his 47 home runs with the bases empty which is more common for leadoff hitters. Getting Schwarber into more RBI situations and to the plate with more men on base should be a priority for the Phillies.

Moving Stott to the leadoff spot makes a ton of sense for this team. He has shown that he’s able to work counts, get on base, and limit strikeouts. If he can replicate his 2023 season, he’s the ideal leadoff hitter to get on base in front of the big bats of Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, and Schwarber.

Batting Realmuto at cleanup might be the one spot that is easily changed in future iterations of this draft lineup. Sure, the 32-year-old catcher has a down year in 2023 but still has the home run ability and a chance to bounce back after a tough year. The key here is moving Nick Castellanos down in the order to sixth. While he was the lone All-Star last year, the power numbers are down, and he has a tendency to be streaky which can lead to prolonged offensive droughts.

Lastly, Johan Rojas cracks the opening day lineup in center field, batting ninth. Playing Harper at first base enables the Phillies to move Brandon Marsh to a corner outfield position and leaves the Gold Glove-caliber defensive star, Rojas, in center field. The Phillies will give him every opportunity to earn the Opening Day spot because of his extraordinary glove in the outfield. But after his bat was exposed in the playoffs, he’ll have to prove he can hit MLB pitching. If his recent Instagram post is any indication, he has put in work this offseason and is looking to come out swinging a hot bat.

As the offseason progresses, we’ll continue to tweak the Opening Day lineup prediction, but this seems like a good place to start