Stammen shakes up the Padres' order, moving Bogaerts to leadoff and Tatis to cleanup. See how this early lineup experiment unfolds.
San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen has some things to figure out before Opening Day at the end of March.
One of them is about the starting rotation, and there is a possibility the Padres use a six-man rotation, especially with recent injuries to Joe Musgrove and Michael King in years past.
Another is what to do with the lineup. Last season, Mike Shildt didn't tinker with the lineup very much, but Stammen could change that strategy in his first run as an MLB manager.
On Friday, the Padres kicked off the Cactus League with a game against the Seattle Mariners.
And, Stammen's first lineup caught attention. Here is the lineup:
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Jackson Merrill, CF
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
- Jake Cronenworth, 2B
- Nick Castellanos, 1B
- Luis Campusano, C
- Ty France, DH
- Nick Schnell, LF
The biggest surprise is that Bogaerts is in the leadoff spot, a place primarily held by Tatis in recent years.
But, Tatis batting cleanup could help his run production, which could be a smart move if that's what ends up happening.
Another interesting move is having Cronenworth in the No. 5 spot behind Tatis, which could be a downgrade with pitchers choosing to pitch around Tatis.
Of course, this is the first game of spring training, so Stammen is likely just exploring and seeing what guys look like in different spots of the lineup.
Also, Ramon Laureano figures to be the everyday left fielder, so expect him to be somewhere towards the top half of the lineup when he plays.
Castellanos, who just signed a one-year deal after being released from the Philadelphia Phillies, has been working at first base, although it's a new position for him.
And, Stammen immediately put him in at first base, with Gavin Sheets as another option to be there during the season.
Campusano is going to finally get a real chance, and a report came over the offseason that Shildt did not want Campusano to see much playing time.
France, who reunited with the Padres, gets the nod at DH, and he has a solid chance to make the Opening Day roster if he can hit well.
Again, this is the beginning of spring training, and with players such as Tatis and Machado among those going to the World Baseball Classic, Stammen doesn't have a ton of time to figure things out in that regard.
It will be interesting to continue to see how Stammen tinkers with the lineup, especially after Shildt's stubbornness when it came to moving players around in the batting order.