Section 215
Fansided

Philadelphia Phillies: Projected 2021 lineup lacks balance

By George Stockburger

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 31: A Philadelphia Phillies "Official Batting Order" line-up card during a game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on May 31, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Nationals won 5-1. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 31: A Philadelphia Phillies "Official Batting Order" line-up card during a game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on May 31, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Nationals won 5-1. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Philadelphia Phillies have no balance in their 2021 lineup

What does having a balanced lineup mean if you’re the Philadelphia Phillies? There are a couple of ways to look at it. One is that you’ve got different types of hitters across the lineup, some guys who can fit the ball 450 ft and others who are there to get singles and doubles.

There’s also the matchup question with lefties and righties. Are you giving opposing managers something to think about when they’re making bullpen decisions by having lefties bracket a righty?

Having balance in a lineup is something you can argue over whether it still matters or if it’s an outdated mindset. The three-batter rule for bullpens is something that’s changed this mindset of switching lefties and righties, and some teams are more eager to swap players out from the bench just for the favorable matchups.

More from Section 215

I still think having a balanced lineup from both perspectives needs to be something a team considers. There has to be mix of lefties and righties and different types of hitters to create momentum and build off at-bats.

When you’re looking at the Phillies, there are a lot of holes and few options to find any balance. Here’s their opening day lineup in 2020, which was fairly balanced, both in terms of lefty/righty and types of hitters.

  1. Andrew McCutchen (RH)
  2. Rhys Hoskins (RH)
  3. Bryce Harper (LH)
  4. J.T. Realmuto (RH)
  5. Didi Gregorius (LH)
  6. Jean Segura (RH)
  7. Jay Bruce (LH)
  8. Scott Kingery (RH)
  9. Roman Quinn (SH)

Looking forward to the 2021 lineup, there are a lot of changes that will eliminate the balance Joe Girardi had at his disposal.

Both Bruce and Gregorius are free agents, and at this point they’re unlikely to return. If the National League brings back the designated hitter, Bruce would be an excellent option for the Phillies to bring back.

But assuming Bruce and Gregorius are gone, that leaves Bryce Harper as the Phillies’ only true lefty in the lineup. Quinn is a switch-hitter and Adam Haseley can sub-in as a lefty, but neither has proven to be an everyday big league hitter.

So where will the Phillies find a left-handed hitter to bring balance to the lineup? Their biggest hole is catcher with J.T. Realmuto out there in free agency, but he’s another righty, and one they’ll gladly keep if the money is right.

If they don’t keep Realmuto, their best replacements (Willson Contreras trade, Yadier Molina, Kurt Suzuki, Curt Sasali) are righties.

How about the shortstop position?

Right now the Phillies are looking at either Jean Segura or Scott Kingery playing shortstop.

There are no options for a left-handed shortstop if you can’t afford to bring back Gregorius.

Philadelphia Phillies Dave Dombrowski
BOSTON, MA – JULY 05: Boston Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski talks on the phone before the game against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park on July 5, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

He’s the only left-handed shortstop available with a history of success of a substantial amount of playing time. Freddy Galvis is a switch-hitter on the open market, but he’s a career .261 hitter as a lefty. Granted, that’s 20 points better than he’s hit from the right side.

Free agent shortstops Marcus Semien and Andrelton Simmons are quality free agents for the Phillies to explore at shortstop, but they’re both righties.

It’s unlikely the Phillies trade for switch-hitter Francisco Lindor, and the other big name shortstops potentially on the trade market (Trevor Story and Javier Baez) are righties.

So if the Phillies want to bring back a right-handed Realmuto and have limited left-handed shortstop options, is there any way to improve on the left-side of the plate?

Signing Jackie Bradley Jr. to play center field would be one way, adding a left-handed bat that team President Dave Dombrowski is familiar with from Boston.

I don’t see the Phillies making a change in left field with Andrew McCutchen, but that’s another area worth keeping an eye on if they want to really change things up. Second base is a question mark, but the team has invested a lot in Scott Kingery.

They’re also missing the second piece of the balancing act, which is consistent on-base guys who get you singles and doubles to start and carry rallies. They have plenty of big pop guys, but the guys they need to get those rally-driving hits (McCutchen, Segura, Kingery) are either no longer or haven’t been that kind of guy before.

Philadelphia Phillies: 3 Trade Partners for Jean Segura. dark. Next

Barring the unforeseen return of Gregorius or a trade that we haven’t thought up of, the Phillies are going into 2021 with only one true left-handed hitter. Dombrowski and Girardi will have to get creative when it comes to building the team and lineup to strike any kind of balance, because right now they have no options to work with.

Home/Philadelphia Phillies