PEORIA, Ariz. -- Should you read all that deeply into any manager’s starting lineup on the first day of Cactus League play? Probably not.
Still, as February lineups go, this was certainly an interesting one.
New Padres manager Craig Stammen shuffled the top four hitters for his team’s Spring Training opener, a 7-4 loss to the Mariners on Friday at Peoria Stadium. Here’s how he lined them up:
1. Xander Bogaerts
2. Jackson Merrill
3. Manny Machado
4. Fernando Tatis Jr.
Yes, Stammen cautioned against reading too much into those choices, noting that his first priority is getting at-bats for his World Baseball Classic-bound hitters. But he also made a hypothetical case for continuing to use that lineup when the games start to count. It's clearly something he’s considering.
Here’s a look at those potential changes and what they might mean:
Tatis down to cleanup?
Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of Stammen’s new-look lineup was his justification for using Tatis out of the cleanup spot, rather than the leadoff spot, where he spent most of the year last year.
“Just talking with him, personally, leading off may have not been something he felt he was the best at,” Stammen said. “But he knew that was the best for the team in the past. Will he lead off at some point in the season? Maybe. That might happen. Right now, we’re going to try something different.”
Last season, Tatis drew more walks than he ever had in a season (89). His slugging percentage (.446) was also the lowest it has ever been. The Padres, in no uncertain terms, need Tatis to tap into that power this season.
Clearly, Tatis’ speed plays at the top. But perhaps a move into the No. 4 spot allows for something of a philosophical shift in his approach. Not that he’s reading into it all that much.
“I don’t care where I hit,” Tatis said. “... I can still get on base. I can still hit it over the fence. It’s a good mix.”
Bogaerts at the top
So … if Tatis is gone from the top spot … who hits there? Luis Arraez, who typically followed Tatis at No. 2 last season, is in San Francisco. Machado probably isn’t moving from his No. 3 spot (unless it’s up to No. 2, potentially).
On Day 1 of the Cactus League at least, it was Bogaerts. And Stammen gave a ringing endorsement of the veteran shortstop’s abilities in that spot.
“We saw last year, he brought some speed to the table,” Stammen said. “But I think [we’re] more excited about the bat that he showed in the playoffs, and that he could be a guy that we really want at the top of the order that could set the tone.”
Bogaerts is no longer the hitter he was in Boston. But his .350 career on-base percentage certainly plays in the top spot, with a trio of mashers behind him. As Stammen noted, Bogaerts is also a threat on the basepaths -- and a savvy baserunner at that. He stole 20 bases last season and was caught only twice.
Merrill moves up
In his career, Merrill has made only 11 starts in the No. 2 spot in the lineup. But he clearly wouldn’t mind a few more.
“In terms of my approach, I love the 2-hole,” Merrill said Friday morning prior to the game. “I think it’s good for me. You get a guy on, they’re in the stretch, they’re worrying about that guy, I’m getting a couple pitches to hit in that at-bat. They’re not going to walk me, make it first and second with Manny coming up. I think being in the 2-hole is a good spot for me. I can swing it more.”
Funnily enough, that’s exactly what happened. Merrill worked a walk in the first, putting two men on board for Machado, though the Padres didn't score in the frame.
But generally speaking, Merrill is a free swinger who doesn’t walk much. Typically, those types of hitters bat deeper in the lineup, but Stammen still sees value in getting Merrill to the plate early.
“He’s just an energy-giver,” Stammen said. “He takes at-bats, prepares the right way. Getting him to hit in the first inning, I think, is a good thing for our team. We’ll see how it works going through spring and if that’s what we want to roll out.”
Which, of course, serves as an important reminder: The Feb. 20 lineup does not have to match the lineup Stammen will use on March 26 against the Tigers at Petco Park. But it was still an awfully interesting one.