Lineup Takeaways - Week 1 Spring Training Lineups

March 7, 2021

Mike Kurland takes a deep look at early MLB lineup trends in spring training, highlighting strong and weak platoons, and players who may benefit from lineup slot in 2021 fantasy baseball leagues.

Well, after a recent article highlighting the idea of what I was wanting to do with this Spring Training series, here is a first look at my Lineup Takeaway series I will be bringing you the rest of the 2021 season.

We are focusing 100% on lineups, news and quotes - strictly about lineups and notable trends worth discussing - for everyone to follow along and watch for with me.

Alright folks, time to get started!

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Word On The Street

This is where I put any quotes and relevant news I find in regards to lineups. This will vary from article to article and if you want to see more notable quotes, check out last week's article here.

Washington Nationals

Victor Robles has been notably leading off over the first week of games. However, the team seems noncommittal at this time.

In regards to Victor Robles, Juan Soto and Trea Turner batting top three:

“I wouldn’t read into it too much. [laughs]. As we all know, it was vice versa last year, for the most part. Trea hit in front of Soto, which they did well together, but I just want to see what this kind of looks like.

Another quote from Martinez, however, suggests he’d like to see it work out:

“I would like to get Robles up at the top of the lineup — even if it’s just against left-handed pitching. So we’ll see how that plays out.”

Followed by:

 “I’d like to get Trea somewhere — second or third maybe, we’ll see how it plays out this Spring.”

But wait, there’s more as Kevin Long chimed in:

“If we can have Victor Robles lead off, it’s huge,” Long said.

I believe a couple of these quotes may have been from earlier in spring but nevertheless, the proof appears to be in the putting so far and we need to continue to monitor the situation.

Atlanta Braves

Without the universal designated hitter in place again this year, Freddie Freeman will all but certainly be batting third this year:

“The two-hole with the pitcher hitting, the opportunities for RBI situations aren’t as great,” Freeman said. “But I do realize hitting in the two-hole over 162 games, you’re going to get way more plate appearances than you would in the three-hole.”

Freeman continues on with reasoning of his own as to why hitting third would benefit the team more than batting second:

“Putting me second with a pitcher batting ninth, it just doesn’t make sense for us,” Freeman said. “Even if you put [the pitcher] eighth, there is a chance if you had Ender [Inciarte] or [Cristian] Pache batting ninth, then that could work for me hitting second. But with the pitcher hitting [ninth], it just throws a lot of wrinkles into everything.

However, Freeman does not rule out batting second altogether:

“I think our best bet is to do what we did last year. I can start off hitting third, and if it makes sense a month into the season, maybe I go to hitting second. But that’s the beauty of this thing. That’s why we play so many games and go so long. We can make little tweaks here and there.”

Kansas City Royals

There is a lot to dive into with the Royals. Let’s start with the middle of the order. Soler or Perez (possibly a combination of the two) will bat fourth. This likely leaves the other one batting fifth:

“I think what you’re going to see with (the No. 4 and No. 5 spots),” manager Mike Matheny said recently, “is who matches up well and who’s really swinging it well. You get to No. 4 and No. 5, and you’re hopeful the first three figured out to do what they do, which is get on base. Then we need somebody hot to do damage.”

In reference to Santana batting second:

“If (Carlos) is swinging it well and getting on-base — doing both, which we’ve seen him do in the past — there’s no reason why you couldn’t (do that),” Matheny said. “But right now, it seems like a really good spot for (Benintendi).”

To the shock of no one, Merrifield will be leading off:

“We like Whit at the top,” Matheny said recently. “It makes a lot of sense to us.”

Lineup Trends to Monitor

The idea here is to go through the lineups through the week and take away notable lineup and playing time trends and discuss what is not only obvious but worth making note of and monitoring as we move into week two of lineups. Not every team has something to discuss so if a team is skipped, just know it was purposefully. However, it is week one so every team will be discussed.

NL East

Miami Marlins

• We have seen a pretty steady top four to five in the lineup. The only issue is Garrett Cooper could and arguably should eat into Jesus Aguilar’s playing time given the lack of DH in the NL moving forward. However, if I had to choose today, I would say Cooper is out of the starting lineup and this will be your top-five in this lineup.
• We don’t have much clarity in who the starting second baseman is as of yet.
• Jon Berti appears to be more of a super-utility as of now and is not a starter. Although, there could be an outside track to being the team's starting second baseman given the hole currently there. Berti has played 3B, SS and 2B already and we have only seen six games played. Expect him to play and bat all over the place but it could be inconsistent without an injury to another player.

Atlanta Braves

• We have not seen a full lineup yet in terms of a lineup with all the starters but we have seen enough to know Ronald Acuna should lead off and Ozzie Albies should bat second. They even play and sit the same games.
• Dansby Swanson is likely to bat fifth or sixth in the lineup. Not a bad spot given the team context but still limits the upside.
• Austin Riley is another player to fall because of this lineup depth. Should hit right around Swanson in the bottom half-to-third of the lineup.

Philadelphia Phillies

• Little is being given away here for us to analyze. Other than seeing McCutchen leading off, there has been irregular playing time for most of the big names so we aren’t seeing much else we can expect yet.

Washington Nationals

• Victor Robles was mentioned at the top of the article. He has started in four of the team's six games and in those games, he has led off each time. This includes three against a RHP and a LHP. So Robles is getting the opportunity to prove he can do it and it appears it is his spot to lose.
• The top six does in fact seem likely to start out this way.

• Carter Kieboom is starting at third base but is set to hit at the bottom of the order having hit seventh or eighth in three of his four starts.

New York Mets

• Brandon Nimmo should be leading off most games and if you read the last article, the manager is in favor of him essentially getting the shot to lead off full time.
• Lindor appears in-line to bat second. He has started three games and has played shortstop in each while batting second.
• Pete Alonso has yet to hit below the 4-spot.
• Dominic Smith got a late start to game play but has only hit as the DH. Yet to play the field and I have my reservations when it comes to his playing time or at least his at-bats given the likely late-game substitutions for defense and such.
• J.D. Davis has played third base every start but seems likely to be relegated to a back-of-the-order role, in part due to how good this lineup is.

NL Central

St. Louis Cardinals

• They seem to prefer Matt Carpenter in the top two. He has started four of his five games there in the lineup while hitting at DH twice and playing both second base and third base. They seem to really want to get him worked in there.
• Without a DH, it is tough to see who gets the two-spot but we saw a lineup where it was DeJong, not Dylan Carlson getting the chance to hit there.
• Dylan Carlson could hit fifth or sixth in this lineup to start. We have yet to see him hit above cleanup and the day he did hit fourth, Paul Goldschmidt was out.

Milwaukee Brewers

• Since entering the lineup, Wong has only led off.
• The top four should include Christian Yelich, Kolten Wong and Keston Hiura mixed in there in some order.
• Avisail Garcia is currently getting a lot of run in the middle of the order but that is without Lorenzo Cain or newly-acquired Jackie Bradley Jr. in the lineup so that playing time situation could be a bit of a mess.
• Travis Shaw has consistently hit fifth and seems like a good bet to stick right around there in the lineup. Will likely be the starting third baseman.

Pittsburgh Pirates

• As of now, I would say we have an idea of the top five in the lineup

• Erick Gonzalez is nothing special in terms of fantasy but appears locked into an everyday role as of now in the middle infield. He bats at the bottom of the lineup but could be a source of at-bats in NL-Only formats.

Cincinnati Reds

• The two-through-five hole hitters seem locked in

• Nick Seznel should be the starting CF but where he hits is TBD.

Chicago Cubs

• We know who will be in the top six of this lineup but where they will hit is the question. 
• We have had quotes backing Ian Happ as the leadoff man. 
• Maybe I am reading too much into this, but coming off a down year we would expect Javier Baez to be getting reps at the top of the lineup to get him some at-bats but instead he consistently bats fifth. The bigger issue is he bats fifth in lineups that don’t even feature Happ so the potential to bat sixth is there. I cannot say with confidence it is going to turn out that way but it has been trending as such. Baez has batted fifth in two of his three starts and the one lineup he hit fourth in did not include Happ or Bryant.

NL West

San Diego Padres

• Trent Grisham appears to be in the driver's seat as the everyday leadoff man:

• The top three appear to be Trent Grisham/ Fernando Tatis Jr./ Manny Machado and then we know it'll be Tommy Pham or Eric Hosmer followed by Wil Myers. Another team that we have a good grasp on.
• Jake Cronenworth, Jurickson Profar and Ha-Seong Kim are being moved around often in the field and the lineup and bouncing in and out of lineups as a whole. All could be slated to hit bottom third and we should see them heavily utilized to provide consistent off days for the vets.

Los Angeles Dodgers

• Not much to say here. We have a good idea of this lineup.
• Worth noting is the amount of playing time Gavin Lux is getting at second base. This is with Chris Taylor still getting some reps at second but also playing centerfield with Bellinger out. A situation to monitor as we all hope Lux can hit on that prospect pedigree.
• Zach McKinstry really has caught my attention for NL-Only formats. The Dodgers have played seven games this week and he has started in five of these games and played CF, SS, and 2B in the process. Likely no more than a utility type but there is a chance he breaks camp as the club's new super-utility off the bench for 2021.

Colorado Rockies

• Ramiel Tapia is the leadoff hitter
• Garret Hampson appears to have the early edge on the centerfield job. He has started five of the Rockies six games and has played centerfield in four of them. Furthermore, Hilliard plays mostly right field and in the one lineup Charlie Blackmon played, it was Hilliard who hit the bench while Hampson played center. He will likely hit towards the bottom of the lineup.
• Another player likely to hit towards the bottom of the lineup but has good potential is Brendan Rodgers. Has played second base regularly and appears to have an early grasp on the position.

Arizona Diamondbacks

• With Kole Calhoun injured, there is an opening in right field as well as at the top of the order.
• We have seen two games since the injury where Josh Rojas has led off. This could happen and is worth monitoring.
• Daulton Varsho is getting plenty of looks but they have mentioned starting him in the minors so until we get more news on that, it is tough to say what to expect.
• We have seen Trayce Thompson play a lot of right field as well. Could be the front runner for the right field job. Mostly batting towards the middle of the lineup and the power potential is there:

San Francisco Giants 

• Other than getting some confirmation from Kapler about Tommy La Stella and Mike Yastrzemski batting top two, we have had little offered our way.
• We have players who have not been healthy like Bandon Belt not even play yet.
• Mauricio Dubon often sits low in the lineup and plays SS and CF. Could see him carve out enough playing time between the two spots.

AL East

Boston Red Sox

• Enrique Hernandez has led off almost every game and the team really seems to like him and believe in him. The only hiccup is that it is hard to envision him remaining there when Xander Bogaerts returns. We need to see when he returns and how things will shake out. 
• The three-through-five spots seem to be running this way pretty regularly:
  

  Red Sox 3-5 Hitters
  3	J.D. Martinez
  4	Rafael Devers
  5	Hunter Renfroe

• Bobby Dalbec is proving he deserves to start at first base but he will likely (at least initially) be hitting about 7th in the lineup
• We are seeing a lot of Jarren Duran and he is showing out. However, he is in centerfield most of the time and that is where Alex Verdugo is likely set to play. They also traded for Franchy Cordero (who is returning from COVID) and although Duran deserves the shot, the Red Sox may need to prove trading for Cordero was the right move as well as play the service time game with Duran - although I wouldn’t bet on a long wait for him.

Toronto Blue Jays

• Whenever George Springer leads off so far, Cavan Biggio has not hit higher than fifth in the lineup and that lineup he hit fifth in was missing a few key parts. He appears to be the player on the outside looking in at the top of the lineup. 
• Marcus Semien is the reason why as we have yet to see him hit lower than third in the lineup. 
• Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Vladimir Gurrero Jr. appear to be locked into the four and five spots. Little deviation there for them. 
• The lineup is crowded with right-handed hitters, so will Rowdy Tellez get more playing time than we may have thought? Will he slot closer to sixth than eighth and if that does occur, who falls? Does Biggio bat ninth as a second leadoff type? So much to TBD still. 

New York Yankees

• The Yankees may have shown their hand on Friday’s lineup. Just simply insert Gio Urshela and Clint Frazier into the mix and we should have an idea of what to see:

• Gleyber Torres is the only potential six-hole hitter I would be excited to roster and expect similar production as a cleanup hitter given the talent of this roster.
• I just hope Brett Garner is not going to be a thing. 

Baltimore Orioles

• We are not any closer to figuring out who the starting center fielder is. 
• We could see a 3/4/5 of Trey Mancini, Anthony Santander and Ryan Mountcastle.
• If Rio Ruiz does bat fifth, we may have a sneaky, late-round RBI target. 
• Although it could be a split, Pedro Severino would be my pick as to who is likely to get the playing time early on. 

Tampa Bay Rays

• Your guess is as good as mine. So many moving parts but one thing does seem clear. A top-three featuring Austin Meadows, Randy Arozarena and Brandon Lowe seems likely. But it is the Rays so how much will we even see that occur regularly? 

AL Central

Minnesota Twins

• We have seen Mitch Garver in three games and he has hit second in all three he has started. He has also started most at the catcher position so far. Might just be his job to lose after all. 
• Max Kepler continues to lead off. We know he will lead off against RHP but we will see if he gets the opportunity to lead off against LHP as well. They have faced only one and he did in fact lead off. 
• No sign of Josh Donaldson yet but it is reported we could see him Sunday. 
• Byron Buxton could potentially bat fifth or sixth. The manager has said he could hit higher in the lineup compared to being a bottom-of-the-lineup guy like he has been in the past. Is the breakout finally going to happen?!
• Plenty to still watch here as we get a better idea of how things will shake out once the lineup is in full health. 
• Although I am rooting for Kirilloff and we have seen him get outfield and first base reps, there is a path to starting in the minors, unfortunately. The skill set and bat are ready but the Twins might want to play the service time game. When he does start, he typically bats around the five-spot so if or when he comes up we could possibly see a solid place for him. 

Detroit Tigers

• Robbie Grossman has started four of the Tigers six games and has led off in all four of said starts. He is the lead-off hitter until proven otherwise.
• We see Willi Castro and Jeimer Candelario hitting second and third often. They could remain there with Miguel Cabrera likely slotting into the cleanup spot. This could be affected by Schoop.
• Still plenty to be figured out with Johnathan Schoop, Renato Nunez and Nomar Mazara yet to factor in. 

Cleveland Indians

• We have a very good idea of the top four:

• Beyond that, the outfield is a mess that has rolled over into this season and the shortstop position is not figured out yet. 
• It seems that whoever wins the shortstop spot could end up batting ninth anyway. 
• Josh Naylor has started three games and has yet to bat below fifth. 
• We see Jake Bauers and Bobby Bradley splitting time at first base. Bottom of the lineup is likely for either. 

Chicago White Sox

• Tim Anderson to leadoff, with a mix of the usual suspects in the middle. It really is a question as to who will hit second. 
• I assumed it would be one of Adam Eaton or Yoan Moncada to get the two-spot but Luis Robert occupied it when they ran out a lineup filled with starters and followed that up by batting leadoff. However, I am NOT reading much into that. I think he is getting the ABs in. 
• Yasmani Grandal has yet to start but you know he will slot into the middle of the order.

Kansas City Royals

• Well, if you take the quotes you read and pair that with the trends we have seen, the top five should be something like this:

• We should see the six and seven spots covered by Adalberto Mondesi and Hunter Dozier
• Nicky Lopez will likely bat ninth.
• Michael Taylor is being slept on a bit but will likely hit in the bottom of the order. Should play every day though and provide power and speed.

Oakland Athletics

• A chance that Elvis Andrus hits at the top of the lineup:

• We saw Ramon Laureano leadoff a couple of games and then in one lineup with most of the big-name starters, he fell to the six-spot. Well, which is it A's?!

Seattle Mariners

• They started off Spring Training with a very realistic lineup and has since trotted out similar lineups but never one this complete with starters:

• They have shown a willingness to keep Ty France hitting in the middle of the order while also letting him play second base and third base as well. 
• Mitch Haniger is the two-hole hitter with J.P. Crawford batting leadoff. Both are draft-day bargains given the potential at-bats they should be running into. 
• Jake Fraley offers some very late power and speed but it could be short-lived as we expect Jarred Kelenic to be up in short order. The injury has delayed the ETA but all it does is give the Mariners reason to put him down to start the season and get the service time. We could (or should) see Kelenic up as early as the first week of May.

Texas Rangers

• They have not really hinted at what they plan to do all that much. 
• Isaiah Kiner-Falefa does appear to be locked into a spot in the top two:

• Nick Solak has played exclusively second base and hit fifth and sixth. Not ideal and could move up verse LHP but it seems it is his job to lose.
• With Khris Davis at DH we have seen Willie Calhoun playing left field regularly. We have seen Davis stick to the middle of the order when he is in but also seen Calhoun hit as high as leadoff but as low as fifth. Still seems they want to keep his bat towards the top or middle of the order.
• Ronald Guzman is building hype and has played both the outfield and first base. Not sure if he is in the conversation for starting. It is crowded over here in Texas and we should get more answers soon.

Los Angeles Angels

• They have not given us much but we also know what to expect at the top of the lineup. 
• The main question is where does Jarred Walsh fit in? We have not seen a lineup with Walsh and all the big names at the top. Will he bat fifth or sixth when Shohei Ohtani is in the lineup and second when he is out? Will he platoon with Pujols? So many questions yet to be answered. 
• Justin Upton is slated to start but will be relegated to the bottom half of the lineup again. 
• I would assume Dexter Fowler and Jose Iglesias will follow his lead to the bottom half of the lineup.

Houston Astros

• First off, they are not healthy and I am starting to get a little concerned with Yordan Alvarez being ready for Opening Day. Both he and Alex Bregman have yet to play and it was said that Bregman is ahead of Alvarez in his recovery so their health is something to monitor.
• Myles Straw and Jose Altuve seem all but certain to be the top two hitters in the lineup.
• We know Michael Brantley will quietly be great as a middle-of-the-order bat.
• The recovery and insertion of the big names above will determine a lot of how this lineup falls.

Position Battles to Watch

These positions seem up for grabs as I monitor the lineups and maybe we will get clarity in week two. 

Shortstop for the Reds

• Kyle Farmer
• Dee Strange-Gordon
• Kyle Holder
• Jose Garcia 

Second Base for the Marlins

• Jazz Chisholm
• Isan Diaz 

Centerfield for the Phillies

• Odubel Herrera 
• Scott Kingery

Second Base for the Cubs

• David Bote
• Nico Hoerner

Centerfield for the Orioles

• Cedric Mullins
• Austin Hays

Shortstop for the Indians

• Amed Rosario
• Andres Gimenez

We Need Answers

These are simply a few questions I ask myself and plan to watch for and hopefully have answers for these by the end of week two. Sure, there will be more questions but these popped into my head and figured it couldn’t hurt to share some questions I am asking myself. 

1. Who will lead off for the Reds and will it be dependent on LHP or RHP like last season?
2. The playing time situation in the Brewers outfield.
3. When Adam Frazier returns to the Pirates, where does he play and hit? Does he start?
4. Is Luis Robert really in contention for the two-spot in that White Sox lineup? If not, who is likely to hit there?
5. Where will Jeff McNeil ultimately land in the Mets lineup on a regular basis?
6. Where is Javier Baez going to hit in the lineup?
7. Will Varsho not get to start with the team with Triple-A season getting pushed back and Kole Calhoun injured?
8. Will Josh Rojas lead off?
9. Will we start getting an idea of more platoons?
10. Where will Teoscar Hernandez and Cavan Biggio bat in the lineup?
11. Will Ramon Laureano in fact leadoff?

To see the full Spring Training Lineup Tracker to follow along and keep track of the lineups and my notes, simply click here.

This will redirect you to the chart and you can bookmark it if you'd like to follow along with my notes daily. Be sure to be on the look out for the weekly article getting more in depth as well.

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