The dream Philadelphia Phillies starting lineup for Opening Day 2023
By Tim Boyle
Phillies dream starting lineup: Batting fourth Rafael Devers, 3B
We’re dreaming big here. Rafael Devers at third base for the Phillies is a huge dream come true. It’s also probably only happening while we’re asleep. The odds are against the Phillies acquiring him. Only in this completely fictional lineup is he batting cleanup.
Devers is a career .283/.342/.512 hitter with an average of 33 home runs and 107 RBI per 162 games played. He’s actually a free agent after next year, so to include him in this lineup isn’t completely ridiculous. Maybe the Boston Red Sox do look to move him this offseason.
It’s not so realistic, but that’s not the point of this exercise. We’re looking for the best possible players. At third base, the Phillies acquire a young star. What does it mean for Alec Bohm? We’ll check in on him later.
Phillies dream starting lineup: Batting fifth Nick Castellanos, LF
Behind Devers, we have Nick Castellanos. He moves to left field, where we all hope he rebounds from a rough first season in Philadelphia. Castellanos was a part of a dream Phillies off-season last winter. Sadly, it wasn’t a dream season for him.
Year number one for Castellanos included a .263/.306/.389 slash line and only 13 home runs. It was much less than anyone had hoped for. He never did find his power stroke.
At least in this dream, Castellanos is closer to the player he was prior to joining Philadelphia. This is a guy who can hit for awesome home run and gap power. Give us 40 doubles and 25 home runs. We’ll be thrilled.