Changing things up a bit
- 2B Cesar Hernandez
- CF Odubel Herrera
- 1B Carlos Santana
- LF Rhys Hoskins
- RF Nick Williams
- 3B Maikel Franco
- SS J.P. Crawford
- C Jorge Alfaro
- P Jerad Eickhoff
The bright side of not being able to trade Hernandez is that Kapler gets to use one of the best leadoff hitters in the game nearly every day. Keeping Hernandez in that spot makes plenty of sense. Having Herrera hit second makes plenty of sense also, as he is a career .270/.326/.422 hitter there. Crawford hitting at the bottom of the lineup may be below his abilities, but it gives a spark there rather than just being an easy out.
Flipping Santana and Hoskins doesn’t change a lot as they have similar profiles at the plate. They both hit for some power with high on-base percentages. It will be interesting to see who hits more home runs in 2018.
This lineup also preserves the lefty-righty alternation with the two switch hitters, Hernandez and Santana, spaced apart. This makes the Phillies harder to use relievers against, as an opposing manager can’t line up his specialist to mow down a row of hitters.