Projecting the Miami Marlins Opening Day Starting Lineup

1. Xavier Edwards, 2B
2. Connor Norby, 3B
3. Owen Caissie, RF
4. Agustín Ramírez, C
5. Jakob Marsee, CF
6. Christopher Morel, 1B
7. Griffin Conine, LF
8. Otto Lopez, SS
9. Heriberto Hernandez, DH

Caissie or Morel can be either the third or sixth hitter in the lineup. Kyle Stowers is dealing with hamstring tightness and is out for opening day. When he can play he'll either be in left field or at DH. If Stowers can't go, someone needs to step up to hit in the No. 3 spot. Caissie is having a great month. It makes sense to put him there for now to see how we will handle hitting No. 3.

Ramirez is right where he is, as he could be the No. 4 or maybe No. 5 hitter in the lineup. Ramirez has the power to be a real problem for other teams to pitch to him if he's consistent and disciplined at the plate. Every team needs a power hitter in their lineup, and the Marlins have that in Ramirez. There's a lot of pressure on Ramirez to become the Marlins' all-around catcher. If he doesn't, then they will start shifting their focus to Liam Hicks or even call up Joe Mack.

Conine has shown some progress during the spring. In 15 games, Conine delivered two home runs and six RBIs with nine hits. However, he has struck out 12 times and is batting .231. Regardless, he's going to get some playing time because of Stowers injury. He should take the left field position. Conine will likely be the designated hitter for the long haul unless something changes. 

Who should be the DH as of right now to start the season? It should be Hernandez. Although he's hitting .226 during the spring in 31 at-bats, he's also collected three home runs, four RBI, seven hits, and one double. If the Marlins don't go with Hernandez for the DH spot, then perhaps Hicks or Javier Sanoja can fill in that spot. 

it’s going to be a fascinating next couple of days for the Marlins. The team is five days away from starting Game One of a long 162-game season.