The Philadelphia Phillies' lineup needs a shake-up, and moving Adolis Garcia to this spot in the order makes too much sense.
As the Philadelphia Phillies search for more consistency on offense, that is starting to come with some lineup changes.
Brandon Marsh moved into the cleanup spot for the Phillies in the series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but Adolis Garcia is also a “strong candidate” to hit fourth in Philadelphia’s lineup moving forward.
That’s exactly what transpired on Monday. When Rob Thomson submitted his lineup ahead of Philadelphia’s series opener against the Chicago Cubs, Garcia was hitting fourth.
Moving Garcia up in the lineup is a move the Phillies should make permanent, and there are a couple of reasons why.
Adolis Garcia’s Career Numbers Hitting Cleanup
During Garcia’s six-year stint with the Texas Rangers, he found comfort in what spot in the lineup, and that was hitting cleanup. Not only that, but he’s been the most productive at that spot in the lineup, too.
The 33-year-old has started 444 games and has over 1,800 plate appearances, hitting cleanup. In that role, Garcia owns a .234/.294/.450 slash line, including 92 home runs.
If the Phillies are looking for more consistency from their lineup and placing guys in spots where they can succeed, having Garcia in a spot where he is accustomed to, such as hitting cleanup, should be a permanent change.
Mar 31, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Adolis Garcia (53) hits a home run against the Washington Nationals in the fourth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn ImagesA Power Threat Behind Phillies’ Big Three
What the Phillies are missing behind the big three of Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, and Kyle Schwarber is a true power threat who will make pitching around the top of the lineup more difficult.
This is what has worked well in past seasons when Philly’s offense has been elite, but the team is missing that due to JT Realmuto’s offensive regression and Nick Castellanos's departure.
Garcia can fill that void and give the Phillies a home run threat behind Philly’s star trio.
No, it doesn’t look like the 33-year-old will ever return to the 2023 All-Star version of himself, but there are still some favorable advanced stats to prove he still has what it takes to protect Turner, Harper, and Schwabrer.
Garcia currently has an average exit velocity of 93.8 mph (93rd percentile) and a hard-hit rate of 51.4 percent (83rd percentile).
With Garcia hitting behind Schwaber, he’ll likely get more pitches to hit and drive in those hitting in front of him, which is something the Phillies dramatically need more of right now.
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