The Philadelphia Phillies may have a different batting order to start the 2025 regular season. There have been rumors in previous seasons that manager Rob Thomson would experiment with different lineups, particularly near the top of the batting order.
Left fielder Kyle Schwarber, who has transitioned to being Philadelphia’s primary designated hitter, has found success as the team’s leadoff batter. He may not be a typical leadoff choice, considering his high home run and RBI totals, but he has been the Phillies' best option the last three years.
Shortstop Trea Turner is one other candidate to bat first. He hit leadoff earlier in his career before signing with the Phillies. However, he hasn't done well offensively over the first two-plus weeks of spring training.
Trea Turner's ice-cold spring might disrupt Phillies' plans to change the lineup
Turner has a low slash line of .059/.273/.059 and a .332 OPS following the Phillies’ March 9 game versus the Baltimore Orioles. He has only one hit and seven strikeouts in 17 at-bats so far in Grapefruit League games.
The 31-year-old has found himself with two strikes early on in many of his at-bats during his previous two years with Philadelphia. Turner needs to change his approach if he is put into the leadoff role this season by Thomson. The first batter is expected to work the count and get on base the majority of the time.
According to John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Thomson is going back-and-forth between Turner and Schwarber and hasn't made up his mind who will hit leadoff.
Trea Turner made a great play in the field today but he is batting just .059 this spring. He did walk twice today. Phillies manager Rob Thomson says he is going back-and-forth with Turner and Kyle Schwarber as his leadoff hitter and hasn’t decided yet. https://t.co/5cXLTaqSpF
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) March 9, 2025
Turner mentioned previously on the Afternoon Show with Ike Reese, Spike Eskin, and Jack Fritz on SportsRadio 94 WIP that he and many of the hitters are willing to hit wherever Thomson puts them.
“Last time I [hit leadoff] was 2019. I had a good year,” Turner said. "For me, I've said this before and we all say it, we'll hit wherever Rob wants us to and wherever the coaching staff wants us to. Because we want to win, we don't care.”
Is Trea Turner the Phillies' best leadoff candidate?
A player’s spring training stats don’t always translate over to the regular season. After the Phillies signed utility player Whit Merrifield last offseason, he had an excellent spring training. The veteran totaled an excellent 1.159 OPS along with a slash line of .405./.405/.738 in 16 contests.
However, he did not do well offensively when it counted in the regular season. Merrifield totaled a .199/.277/.295 line and a .572 OPS with the Phillies before being released in July.
Turner may be experiencing an early slump. It is a long year after all. However, the Phillies do not have many hitters who would be good options batting leadoff if they are considering moving Schwarber lower in the order.
Former Philadelphia general manager and one of the current Phillies’ color commentators, Ruben Amaro Jr., had a suggestion for a lineup change, naming second baseman Bryson Stott as a potential leadoff candidate.
But during an appearance on The Phillies Show podcast, Thomson spoke about the problem created in the lineup if Stott bats first.
“The thing is that we're so left-handed, and you want Harper and you want Schwarber getting as many at-bats as you can," Thomson said. "Now you put Stott in the leadoff spot now you're really left-handed at the top, and it might create a problem, even if you're facing a right-hander, everybody's got three lefties in the 'pen it seems, and they'll just start matching up on you."
Thomson has a valid point with the lineup being even more left-handed heavy at the top if Stott were to hit in the leadoff spot. If Schwarber is going to be moved lower in the batting order, Turner appears to be arguably the Phillies’ best option to hit first with a healthy lineup.
It is likely Schwarber will see plenty of games hitting first for Philadelphia this year, even if Thomson tinkers with the top of the batting order. If Turner or another hitter struggles hitting leadoff, the Phillies manager will not hesitate to return to what has worked before. Even if another position player is doing well batting first, the skipper may prefer to give Schwarber plenty of at-bats in the leadoff spot.