There has been a lot of conversation surrounding Phillies‘ Spring Training on the starting lineup moving into the 2025 season. On the WIP Morning Show Thursday morning, manager Rob Thomson just dropped a hint on what the lineup may look like.
For the past few years, Thomson has been steadfast in his belief that Kyle Schwarber was the best man to lead off the lineup. Thomson has stated throughout Spring Training that he has been open to changing it up, with Trea Turner being the most likely candidate to replace Schwarber at leadoff.
Where Thomson is leaning
When asked about a potential lineup with Turner at the top of it, Thomson stated that he likes the prospects of Turner taking a more on-base-focused approach at leadoff while Schwarber batting behind Harper could help Harper as well. Thomson also made it clear that he was not set on who the leadoff hitter was, but if Turner gets the job, Thomson stated he would bat Harper behind him in the two-hole.
From there, it is likely the lineup would continue in Thomson’s typical alternating fashion between left-handed and right-handed bats. With left-handed Harper at two, right-hander Alec Bohm would be the most likely fit at the three-hole given his offensive output in 2024. Schwarber, the traditional slugger, slots in nicely at cleanup with Nick Castellanos setting up behind him at five.
The bottom four of that lineup would likely change on a daily basis depending on who is playing, but the six-hole would likely be Max Kepler or Bryson Stott. J.T. Realmuto would sandwich those two in the seven spot with Brandon Marsh or Johan Rojas acting as the second leadoff in the nine spot.
Nothing is Set in Stone
Topper made it clear to Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie that the lineup has not been locked in yet. There are still several weeks to go in Spring Training and Thomson will use the Spring as a chance to experiment. Could Turner be leadoff? Possbily. Could Thomson return to his “ol faithful” in Schwarber? Absolutely. Only time will tell.
Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
