Section 215
Fansided

Final Philadelphia Phillies Opening Day lineup prediction

By Tim Boyle

CLEARWATER, FLORIDA - MARCH 30: Bryce Harper #3 celebrates with J.T. Realmuto #10 of the Philadelphia Phillies after hitting a home run in the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers during a Grapefruit League spring training game at BayCare Ballpark on March 30, 2022 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA - MARCH 30: Bryce Harper #3 celebrates with J.T. Realmuto #10 of the Philadelphia Phillies after hitting a home run in the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers during a Grapefruit League spring training game at BayCare Ballpark on March 30, 2022 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Opening Day is one Philadelphia Phillies fans have been waiting for. Will Bryce Harper win another MVP? Can Aaron Nola return to his old self? What about the new guys? How many home runs are they going to hit?

It all begins on Friday, April 8 when the Phillies host the Oakland Athletics. Joe Girardi will walk his lineup card out to the umpires for the first time this season.

Every Phillies fan now wants to know: what does the 2022 Phillies Opening Day starting lineup look like?

One final Philadelphia Phillies Opening Day starting lineup prediction.

One major thing has changed since you last thought about who would start on Opening Day for the Phillies. Mickey Moniak is down with a fractured wrist which takes him out of action for about six weeks. It’s a tough blow. But remember, a few weeks ago, nobody was quite sure he’d even make the Opening Day roster!

Fortunately, the Phillies look relatively healthy otherwise. So, what will the Opening Day lineup look like?

  1. Kyle Schwarber, LF
  2. J.T. Realmuto, C
  3. Bryce Harper, RF
  4. Nick Castellanos, DH
  5. Rhys Hoskins, 1B
  6. Didi Gregorius, SS
  7. Jean Segura, 2B
  8. Bryson Stott, 3B
  9. Matt Vierling, CF

This is probably the lineup many people would guess takes the field to open the 2022 season. There’s a lot of logic to it. At no point will two left-handed hitters bat back-to-back. Other than Nick Castellanos and Rhys Hoskins, no righties will either.

The lineup is a little weird but it’s also promising. Kyle Schwarber is not a typical leadoff hitter. He may be the slowest runner in the lineup. But to keep the constant switching of handedness of the batters and to get as many at-bats for the team’s big sluggers, it’s a logical choice.

Not much could really change with this lineup and still have it looks its best. Jean Segura hitting ninth works because he has the speed to turn the lineup over. However, he is too good of a hitter to swap him with Matt Vierling.

We could also see Castellanos out in left field instead of Schwarber. The DH spot will probably include a variety of different Phillies players throughout the year. Harper will get his days there. So will Hoskins. We may even see Realmuto get the occasional start as the club’s DH simply to keep his bat in the lineup.

Next. 5 bold predictions for the 2022 Phillies season. dark

The difference between the Phillies bench players and their starters is different enough for the starters to fit comfortably in their roles. There is no question who will be starting for the Phillies on Opening Day. It’s just a matter of when they hit.

Home/Philadelphia Phillies