One of the most popular questions of the Phillies’ offseason has been what the lineup would look like in 2025. Could there be a new leadoff hitter? Would Bryce Harper move out of the 3-hole? Who’s hitting cleanup?
With just a day away from Opening Day, we have yet to get a clear answer. Recently, manager Rob Thomson indicated that the lineup isn’t set in stone and could change based on the starter the Phillies are facing.
Despite that, the staff at Philly Sports Network gave their predictions on what the Phillies’ lineup will look like on Opening Day. Spoiler alert, no one has Kyle Schwarber batting leadoff.
Matt Watson
- Trea Turner
- Bryce Harper
- Alec Bohm
- Kyle Schwarber
- Nick Castellanos
- Max Kepler
- JT Realmuto
- Bryson Stott
- Brandon Marsh
Despite Kyle Schwarber being an elite leadoff hitter, the Philadelphia Phillies seem adamant about moving on. Trea Turner is the logical successor and has practiced as such in Spring Training. Rob Thomson loves to split up the righties and lefties in his lineup.
Bryce Harper would hit second, where most star hitters now reside. Moving Alec Bohm up to third as a righty, Schwarber will slide down to the 4th slot. This move is going to cost him roughly 60 plate appearances this season, so I would expect a slight decline in home runs.
Nick Castellanos is the next right-handed bat to enter the lineup, with Max Kepler following suit. JT Realmuto is the last righty, before getting to Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh to round it out.
Alec Kostival
- Trea Turner
- Bryce Harper
- Kyle Schwarber
- Alec Bohm
- Max Kepler
- Nick Castellanos
- Bryson Stott
- JT Realmuto
- Brandon Marsh
This won’t be the opening day lineup for the Phillies, but it should. Having Schwarber bat behind Harper would protect him in the lineup, feeding him some better pitches. Bohm at 4 is your RBI guy, a role he’s shown his whole career to be a fit for. He’s hit .312 with an .809 OPS with runners in scoring position. The rest of the lineup alternates left-right. Don’t worry about stacking the lefties. Schwarber handled them well in 2024.
The main reason this won’t happen is that Realmuto won’t hit in the 8-hole, but perhaps he should.
Kyle Fisher
- Trea Turner
- Bryce Harper
- Alec Bohm
- Kyle Schwarber
- Nick Castellanos
- Max Kepler
- JT Realmuto
- Bryson Stott
- Brandon Marsh
Turner has started to heat up and has focused on using the whole field this spring. His speed at the top will allow him to wreak havoc on the basepaths. Harper is the prototype for a No. 2 hitter in today’s game – power and patience. Bohm is a free swinger who is great with runners in scoring position and a low K rate. Schwarber is a traditional cleanup hitter with the added bonus of knowing how to draw a walk. Castellanos is comfortable in the 5-hole and should get more opportunities to drive in runs with the patience in front of him.
Kepler has shown great pop during the spring, and his lower K rate allows you to separate some free swingers susceptible to strikeouts. JT is healthy and could move around if needed, but this keeps the left-right theme going for as long as possible. Marsh should slug against RHP and will get a chance against LHP. Stott is no slouch at the bottom – his contact approach and ability to rack up a pitcher’s pitch count make him feel like a second lead-off. He can get on the basepaths and use his speed, make a pitcher spend more effort before the top of the lineup comes back around, and he’s shown a keen eye during spring with more walks than strikeouts.
Shaun Nestor
- Trea Turner
- Bryce Harper
- Alec Bohm
- Kyle Schwarber
- Nick Castellanos
- Max Kepler
- JT Realmuto
- Bryson Stott
- Brandon Marsh
As someone who has been advocating going back to a more traditional lineup for the past few years, of course, I am predicting a Trea Turner at the leadoff spot. His get-on-base mindset could result in a lot of damage with the three bats to follow. Kyle Schwarber’s home runs definitely profile as the more traditional cleanup hitter. Nick Castellanos, Max Kepler, and J.T. Realmuto then keep the train going while preserving Thomson’s preferred lefty-righty split.
Brandon Marsh ahead of Bryson Stott may turn some heads. My logic is simple: if Stott puts the pieces together, his normal patient approach at the plate and speed could profile him well as a leadoff hitter one day. Until then, putting him at the “second leadoff” means he’ll have some protection with Turner batting behind him.
Kylee Sullenberger
- Trea Turner
- Bryce Harper
- Alec Bohm
- Kyle Schwarber
- Bryson Stott
- JT Realmuto
- Max Kepler
- Nick Castellanos
- Brandon Marsh
I was originally going to put Stott in the two hole, but that’s too lefty-heavy. Bohm did well when he would bat second in the lineup, and putting someone before Harper allows Turner to steal. Putting Schwarber at cleanup also gives the opportunity for multi-run home runs in the first inning, but also more opportunity for double plays and/or groundouts.
Christopher Babos
- Trea Turner
- Bryce Harper
- Alec Bohm
- Kyle Schwarber
- Nick Castellanos
- Max Kepler
- JT Realmuto
- Bryson Stott
- Brandon Marsh
Rob Thompson makes a switch to his lineup – at least to start the season. Despite Schwarber setting a new MLB record with 15 leadoff home runs last season, the Phillies will attempt to generate more runs by having runners on the basepaths when “Cult of Personality” blares over the Citizens Bank Park speakers. Turner and his silky smooth slide bring 487 games of MLB experience in the lead-off spot with a .281 average and 16 lead-off home runs.
Harper (.285 batting average in 2024) and Bohm (.280) were the next-best hitters in the 2024 lineup and will attempt to set the table for Schwarber (.245) to surpass his team-leading 104 RBI total from last season. Once Schwarber reaches the base paths, Castellanos (.254), Kepler (.253), Realmuto (.266), Stott (.245), or Marsh (.249) will be relied upon to produce the clutch RBIs for Philadelphia in 2025.
With Brandon Marsh installed as an everyday centerfielder in Rob Thompson’s lineup, Johan Rojas’ speed becomes an important late-game option off the bench for the Phillies.
Cory Nidoh
- Trea Turner
- Bryce Harper
- Alec Bohm
- Kyle Schwarber
- Nick Castellanos
- Max Kepler
- JT Realmuto
- Bryson Stott
- Brandon Marsh
After many clamoring for Schwarber to be removed from the leadoff spot so his powerful bat could be more damaging with runners on base, it looks like the Phillies are finally making the switch. This could put more pressure on Turner, who has been underwhelming to say the least since signing his monster deal with the team. He will need to return to his former self and set the table for a lineup that can be one of the best in MLB.
Kepler is going to be an under-the-radar signing throughout the course of the year as long as he stays healthy. I wouldn’t be surprised if he leapfrogs Castellanos in the lineup during the summer. Stott, who was dealing with a bum elbow throughout the year, which limited his ability to drive the ball, could be one of the best lower of the lineup hitters in the league.
Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
