Want intrigue? Want surprise? Want drama?
Well, the projected opening-day batting order for the Philadelphia Phillies has just a little bit of that, especially at the No. 8 spot.
MLB.com projected the opening-day batting orders and rotations for each of the 30 teams. For the Phillies, the whole order looks quite familiar.
Brandon Marsh is projected to play left field and hit eighth in the order.
That’s an intriguing projection because of Marsh’s recent surgery.
Last week Marsh had an arthroscopic debridement surgery on his left knee. The Phillies believe that he will need three to four weeks to recover and will be ready for opening day.
It’s a development worth watching as injury recovery is usually specific to the person and doesn’t always align to a generic timeline.
But, if Marsh is ready, he’s likely to have a spot on the field.
The rest of the order is not filled with drama.
Kyle Schwarber leads off and would be the designated hitter. He may not have batting average worth noting, but he continues to hit home runs and get on base and manager Rob Thomson seems to trust him in that position.
If, for some reason, Marsh is not ready, it’s possible that Schwarber could find himself in left field.
Shortstop Trea Turner, one of the best at his position, would bat second, followed by Bryce Harper, who is coming off a Silver Slugger season at designated hitter and making the full-time transition to first base. Rhys Hoskins, who was the first baseman before missing all of last season with an ACL tear, is now with Milwaukee.
Third baseman Alec Bohm will hit clean-up, followed by catcher J.T. Realmuto and second baseman Bryson Stott.
The outfielders are in the final three spots, with right fielder Nick Castellanos batting seventh, Marsh in eighth and center fielder Johan Rojas batting ninth.
Zack Wheeler would be the opening-day starter and anchor a rotation that features Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez, Taijuan Walker and Cristopher Sánchez.
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