All 30 MLB starting lineups, ranked

The A's are in the business of shedding talent again, moving on from catcher Sean Murphy in the offseason. What's left is a combination of unproven young players and role players pushed into starting spots. Beyond the Seth Brown, Brent Rooker, Ramon Laureano, and Shea Langeliers, it's hard to see where the power will come from. The team hopes Tony Kemp, Jace Peterson, and Aledmys Diaz can be adequate veteran fill-ins while young players round into form.

The Tigers finished dead last in runs scored last season between injuries and disappointing rookie performances. Former first-round picks Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene have shown progress, though the latter is out for June with a leg injury. Offseason acquisitions Matt Vierling and Nick Maton add some athleticism. Former star Javier Baez is hoping to rebound. Eric Haase brings 20 home run ability at catcher, but is off to a slow start.

The younth movement is in full swing with KC's offense, with pivotal players like Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, and MJ Melendez. They join veteran power-hitting catcher Salvador Perez, but the rest of the lineup has question marks. Michael Massey and Drew Waters have yet to prove themselves.

The Nats feature a combination of long-term pieces and veterans with something to prove. We could see Keibert Ruiz, CJ Abrams, and Luis Garcia in the lineup five years from now, while Joey Meneses is a great story as a minor league vet who made the most of his opportunity at age 30. The rest of the lineup could be average or worse, while Lane Thomas, Jeimer Candelario, Dominic Smith, and Victor Robles are among the regulars.

Colorado's offense should always lead MLB in runs, given their home-field altitude advantage, but that wasn't the case last season. Finishing tied for 15th in runs was a bit embarrassing, and the trend could get worse this year after losing Brendan Rodgers to a shoulder injury. It's a bad sign in the modern MLB when five key hitters are in their 30s, including Kris Bryant, C.J. Cron, and Charlie Blackmon. Mike Moustakas is hoping Coors Field gives him a boost, and rookie shortstop Ezequiel Tovar could be a bright spot after showing power and speed in the minors. The team does have some more interesting young talent with Brenton Doyle, Nolan Jones, and Elehuris Montero, but haven't been committed to playing that group regularly.

Miami's anemic offense had a futile .363 slugging percentage last season, with outfield additions Jorge Soler and Avisail Garcia struggling. Soler has turned around his fortunes early, while Luis Arraez is flirting with .400. Another injury to center fielder Jazz Chisholm is a brutal loss, but Bryan De La Cruz's progress has softened the blow.

The Brew Crew were 10th in runs scored last year, but have been plagued by injuries to start this year. The youthful additions of Joey Wiemer and Brice Turang haven't helped much. Christian Yelich is no longer an MVP candidate, but he still gets on base at a strong clip. New catcher Williams Contreras has also added some pop, and the team enjoys the contributions of Willy Adames and Rowdy Tellez, when healthy. 

Seattle saw star rookie Julio Rodriguez emerge last season, but they worked to improve the offense by adding Teoscar Hernandez, AJ Pollock, and Kolten Wong in the offseason. Unfortunately, the additions have done very little for the team early this season, and Rodriguez hasn't played up to his rookie form. The team hopes former top prospect Jarred Kelenic has finally found his form after mechanical adjustments. The Mariners have plenty of power carried over from last season with Ty France, Eugenio Suarez, and Cal Raleigh.

The Twins finished in the middle of the pack with 696 runs scored in 2022, but there's a world of potential with power bats like Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa, Jorge Polanco, and Joey Gallo. Health has held them back, as usual, and third base has been a black hole due to Jose Miranda's struggles. The catching duo of Christian Vazquez and Ryan Jeffers has also struggled.

Centerfielder Bryan Reynolds is finally signed long term, and the team is hoping to build around him. They need more consistent contributions from building block Ke'Bryan Hayes, especially since Oneil Cruz is out for multiple months. Veteran additions Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Santana, and Connor Joe have played valuable roles. The team has sen strides from Jack Suwsinki and Ji Hwan Bae while top prospects Travis Swaggerty, Endy Rodriguez, Nick Gonzales, and Henry Davis develop in the minors.

The White Sox disappointed by finishing 19th in runs scored last season and are counting on rebound seasons after losing Jose Abreu in free agency. The lineup was full of disappointments last year, including Tim Anderson, Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez, Yoan Moncada, and Yasmani Grandal, and only Robert has had a smooth first two months. Andrew Vaughn could be on the cusp of bigger things entering his age-25 season. Andrew Benintendi has been mostly a strong on-base option in his career, and the team has had trouble finding playing time for the powerful Jake Burger.

It's been a befuddling 2023 season for the Guardians lineup. Cleveland has made incremental additions, with Josh Bell and Mike Zunino adding to a lineup headlined by Jose Ramirez, Amed Rosario, and Josh Naylor. Right field has been rough between the struggles of Oscar Gonzalez and Will Brennan, will Andres Gimenez has struggled after a breakout 2022 season.

Cincinnati's lineup on Opening Day and their September lineup will likely be very different, with top prospect Elly De La Cruz recently promoted and Christian Encarnacion-Strand not far behind. Matt McLain has already made an impact, while veterans Jonathan India and Tyler Stephenson are hoping for bounceback seasons. The outfield has potential with Jake Fraley  TJ Friedl. Young corner infielder Spencer Steer is also showing potential.

The Giants performed better than the sum of their parts again last season, finishing 11th in runs while playing strict platoons at several positions. Joc Pederson and Mitch Haniger have been much for the first two months, but holdovers like J.D. Davis, LaMonte Wade Jr., and Thairo Estrada have picked up the slack. The team is also getting a boost from Michael Conforto, as well as rookies Blake Sabol and Casey Schmitt.

Fewer lineups in baseball saw a more significant offseason revamp than the Cubs. Gone is Willson Contreras, but the star catcher's absence could be offset by Dansby Swanson, Trey Mancini, and Cody Bellinger. Top prospect Matt Mervis was promoted in May, and the team has some streaky power options with Patrick Wisdom. More reliable is the top of the order with Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ. Chicago's lineup appears middle of the road, with more if Bellinger can hit after returning from injury like he did before going on the IL.

Few lineups have been more disappointing early in the year than New York, who haven't seen many players perform up to expectations other than Pete Alonso. Rookies Brett Baty and Francisco Alvarez has shown promise, Veterans Francisco Lindor, Starling Marte, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil would love to get back to 2022 form. 

San Diego is finding out in their early struggles that depth is as important as star power. The addition of Xander Bogaerts, return of Fernando Tatis Jr., and an entire season of Juan Soto don't appear to be enough, especially if  Manny Machado continues to struggle. Trent Grisham, Jake Cronenworth, and Ha-Seong Kim are barely above average at their respective positions, and the team lacks much beyond them.

The Yanks entered Spring Training with big questions at left field and shortstop, and have needed to exercise patience with young players like Anthony Volpe. The offense is off to a slow start, which hasn't been helped due to injuries to Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Josh Donaldson. Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres remain stars who can somewhat make up for the losses. A rebound seasons from DJ LeMahieu would go a long way in evening out the lineup.

The losses of Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez, along with Trevor Story's elbow injury, have been difficult to replace, but Boston has pieced it together offensively. Free agent additions Masataka Yoshida and Justin Turner have been significant boosts. Of course, the lineup is still built around Rafael Devers, with Alex Verdugo as a fine complementary piece capable of more than his career 107 OPS+. Former top prospect Jarren Duran has picked up where the injured Adam Duvall left off in center field.

Youth can be high variance, but the Diamondbacks hope they get the good end from their collection of young players, which includes Corbin Carroll, Jake McCarthy, and Gabriel Moreno. The team would be asking a lot for first baseman Christian Walker to repeat his 36 home run outburst but hope any decline is offset by rebound seasons from Nick Ahmed and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. With the powerful Evan Longoria on the bench, this is clearly a team on the upswing.

Home runs were more difficult to come by in Baltimore last season after the expansion of Camden Yards, but that doesn't mean the team is lacking power. The O's have a capable middle of the order with Anthony Santander, Ryan Mountcastle, Adley Rutschman, and Gunnar Henderson, with Austin Hays also capable. The team is loaded with speed, with Cedric Mullins leading the lineup and Jorge Mateo on the backend. Adam Frazier gives the team more contact, while top prospect Jordan Westburg could help in short order.

Houston scored the third most runs in the AL last season, but are off to a slow start, particularly with free agent addition Jose Abreu. The rest of the middle of the lineup is stacked with Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez, and Jeremy Pena. Unfortunately, a fractured thumb suffered by Jose Altuve in the WBC handicapped the lineup early in the year, and Michael Brantley's start to the year is also delayed following shoulder surgery. The team continues to look at catcher as a sunk cost offensively due to Martin Maldonado's great defense.

The biggest surprise of the season's first two months has been the Rangers offense. After addressing its lineup last year with the additions of Marcus Semien and Corey Seager, the rest of the lineup has come together. Big years from Nathaniel Lowe, Adolis Garcia, and Jonah Heim have helped the Rangers in 2023, while young Josh Jung and Ezequiel Duran have made the lineup one of the deepest in baseball.

The Angels were near the bottom of the league in runs last season, with major injuries and holes throughout the lineup. The team can't control health, though they certainly hope highly paid stars Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon can stay on the field along with Shohei Ohtani. The team also  could get power-hitting first baseman Jared Walsh back, and has two offensive assets in corner outfielders Taylor Ward and Hunter Renfroe. The team potentially filled more sore spots in the lineup with the additions of Brandon Drury and Gio Urshela, though the loss of young catcher Logan O'Hoppe to injury is damaging.

The Jays can certainly hit the long ball, and the power helped them finish fourth in runs scored last season. They clearly prioritized defense in the offseason, moving on from Teoscar Hernandez and adding Kevin Kiermaier and Daulton Varsho. That change could hit the lineup slightly, though the Jays still have huge stars at the top in George Springer, Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Alejandro Kirk. Brandon Belt has been a star in the past and could keep his nagging knee healthy in the DH role.

It says a lot for the Cardinals' offense that they had the first and third-place vote-getters in the MVP race last season in Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, and the offense appears much deeper in 2023. Willson Contreras is a far superior hitter than Yadier Molina was over the last few seasons but is off to a slow start. The outfield has been plagued by injury, led by Tyler O'Neill, Lars Nootbaar, and Dylan Carlson. Youngsters Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman, and Tommy Edman are solid, while ROY candidate Jordan Walker is back in the majors after struggling early.

Atlanta finished third in runs scored last season, and have similar potential this yar. The lineup is loaded with power, including 30 home run capable hitters Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, and Austin Riley. The team also has scary athleticism, with Acuna Jr. plus other young players like Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris, though he's in a sophomore slump. The loss of William Contreras is offset by the powerful Sean Murphy behind the plate. Perhaps the only concern is a lack of depth in the upper minors should one of Atlanta's stars go down.

The Phillies were handicapped without Bryce Harper in April, but he made a miraculous return from elbow surgery. Blue chip shortstop Trea Turner is off to a slow start, butKyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, and Nick Castellanos are all capable of elite production. Lesser known names like Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, and Brandon Marsh have also shined early in the year.

The Dodgers led all of MLB in runs scored by a wide margin in 2022, and have somehow kept pace despite losing Trea Turner, Gavin Lux, Justin Turner, and Cody Bellinger. The lineup still has its stars at the top with Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, and Max Muncy, though the rebound of J.D. Martinez has also made a big difference.

Tampa Bay's outstanding player development and interchangeable parts has led to an early-season rebound offensively. Healthy rebound seasons from middle infielders Brandon Lowe and Wander Franco will continue to be key, while top prospect Josh Lowe is off to a breakout season. Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena have proven track records, while Harold Ramirez, Manuel Margot, Isaac Paredes, and Christian Bethancourt are coming off career years.