Dream Phillies starting lineup for the 2024 season
By Edward Eng
Batting first in the dream 2024 Phillies lineup, Shohei Ohtani at DH
The Phillies winning the sweepstakes for Japanese two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani will instantly transform the ballclub into a perennial contender for the coming decade. It's like the equivalent of getting a star hitter and a star pitcher at the same time, all for one great price. For the sake of this piece, since we are focusing on the starting lineup, we'll look at the hitting version of Ohtani.
Without question, Ohtani would become the Phillies’ leadoff hitter from here on out. As one of the most feared hitters in all of baseball, forcing the opposing team to see him as much as possible will give the ballclub the best chance at generating consistent offense.
In addition to the valuable home runs and RBI he can provide, many may have forgotten about the fact that he led the AL in on-base percentage (.412) and stole 20 bases this past season. Those numbers are crucial for being an ideal leadoff hitter — being able to get on base successfully, as well as getting into scoring position to help set up scoring opportunities with speed on the basepaths.
By occupying the DH spot in the lineup, Ohtani will be a huge upgrade over Kyle Schwarber, in particular with the reduction in the number of strikeouts. With almost guaranteed MVP-caliber type production year in and year out from the Japanese sensation, the Phillies won’t need to worry about him at all, other than perhaps the maintenance of his good health.
NEXT: A pair of superstars fill the two and three spots in the lineup.