Rain postponed the Philadelphia Phillies’ Grapefruit League tilt on Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. But, with 2024 National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes scheduled to take the hill for the cross-state rival, manager Rob Thomson offered a glimpse at a potential Opening Day lineup, penciling in an order made up primarily of regulars for the first time this spring.
The most significant change from the 2024 everyday lineup saw shortstop Trea Turner batting lead-off, which the Phillies have discussed this offseason. The rest of the order, minus a few changes, went primarily unchanged, highlighting long-standing uneasiness about the cleanup role.
In 2024, the Phillies had one of the most productive offenses in MLB and, for a time, seemed to have found an answer in the four-hole with the emergence of third baseman Alec Bohm. The right-hander shined in the first half of the season, earning him an All-Star nod, slashing .295/.348/.482 with a .830 OPS, 70 RBI and 11 home runs over 94 games.
However, Bohm struggled in the second half, batting .251/.299/.382 with a .681 OPS, 27 RBI and four home runs over the final 49 games before falling apart entirely toward the latter part of the season. In September and October, he went just 8-of-47 at the plate over 12 games, posting as many strikeouts (10) as home runs (2) and RBI (8) combined while finishing 1-of-14 in the postseason.
2025 is a pivotal season for Bohm, who has only one year of arbitration remaining before hitting free agency in 2027. On top of the pressure to regain his All-Star form and put the end of 2024 behind him, he faces the added tension created by offseason trade rumors.
If Bohm doesn’t fit in four-hole, who does?
The Phillies experimented with several players in the four-hole when Bohm missed time with elbow and hand injuries last season. Outfielder Nick Castellanos and catcher J.T. Realmuto received most of the opportunities, though neither seems suited for the cleanup role or the three-hole spot.
Castellanos was a mainstay in the five-hole last season, where he was to bat on Monday, producing well (.306/.341/.546 – .886 OPS – 14 HR, 45 RBI). Meanwhile, Realmuto, who batted primarily out of the six-hole a year ago (.287/.356/.415 – .771 OPS – 3 HR, 16 RBI), was slotted down to seventh, where he flashed during a small sample size in 2024, slashing .333/.360/.646 with a 1.006 OPS, 10 RBI and three round-trippers over 48 at-bats.
Slugger Kyle Schwarber seems like an easy solution to the four-hole issue, but moving him to the cleanup spot creates new problems atop the order.
Schwarber would give the Phillies the power bat they covet behind first baseman Bryce Harper. But, as a left-hander, he doesn’t offer the same protection as a reliable right-handed bat. Though, aside from Bohm, Philadelphia’s options are limited.
There’s a world where Harper moves up to the two-hole behind Turner, opening up the potential for the Phillies to go righty, lefty, righty, lefty atop their batting order with Schwarber at cleanup. Nevertheless, the Phillies would still need a right-handed bat to follow the two-time MVP in that scenario.
Either way, the Phillies will likely need to see a big year from Bohm to solidify the top of the order.
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