Ranking All 30 MLB Lineups Ahead of 2025 Opening Day

What your lineup looks like on Opening Day isn't necessarily indicative of what it will be like on Fourth of July.

Among the notable players who won't be ready for Opening Day—we're excluding the two-game series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs played in Tokyo earlier this week—are Ronald Acuña Jr., Giancarlo Stanton and Francisco Álvarez.

So when we rank the Opening Day lineups, they are based on what will be in place to start the season. To be clear, these are who Roster Resource currently projects to be the nine players in the starting lineup for each team on Opening Day.

With all that acknowledged, here's our ranking of all 30 Opening Day starting lineups.

30. Chicago White Sox

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Korey Lee

1B: Andrew Vaughn

2B: Lenyn Sosa

SS: Josh Rojas

3B: Miguel Vargas

LF: Travis Jankowski

CF: Luis Robert Jr.

RF: Mike Tauchman

DH: Brandon Drury

Three Things To Like

1. If Luis Robert Jr. is healthy, he's still only 27 years old and plays a position that there are so few difference-makers at. Robert could become a trade candidate that further helps the White Sox to bolster their farm system if he bounces back.
2. Brandon Drury posted an .808 OPS between 2022 and 2023, so he's the type of player it makes sense for a clearly rebuilding team to take a risk on.
3. There's not really a third thing to be positive about. White Sox fans should know that it won't be this bad forever. Shortstop Colson Montgomery and catchers Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero are all top 100 prospects in baseball according to MLB Pipeline. And each should make their MLB Debut at some point in 2025.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. Robert is the only player in the lineup projected to post a WAR higher than 1.8 this season.
2. Former No. 3 overall pick Andrew Vaughn has posted just a .725 OPS in parts of four MLB seasons.
3. Travis Jankowski has had a nice career as a 26th man, but for him to be a projected starting outfielder if Andrew Benintendi isn't ready for Opening Day is indicative of how bad of a state the White Sox — who lost 121 games a year ago — are in right now.

29. Miami Marlins

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Nick Fortes

1B: Matt Mervis

2B: Otto Lopez

SS: Xavier Edwards

3B: Connor Norby

LF: Kyle Stowers

CF: Derek Hill

RF: Griffin Conine

DH: Jonah Bride

Three Things To Like

1. It will be interesting to see a full season of Connor Norby as an everyday player. He didn't have a path to playing regularly with the Baltimore Orioles, but posted a .760 OPS in 36 games after being acquired by the Marlins last summer.
2. Griffin Conine—son of franchise icon Jeff Conine—drove in 12 runs in 89 plate appearances for the Fish last season.
3. Xavier Edwards hit .328 with 33 walks and an .820 OPS in 265 at-bats last season. The 25-year-old seems like he could be a long-term cog for the Marlins.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. Matt Mervis—who struck out 105 times in 81 games at Triple-A Iowa in the Chicago Cubs organization last year—is going to be the starting first baseman.
2. Edwards and Norby are projected to lead all starters with a .727 OPS.
3. Jonah Bride, Conine and Mervis are all predicted by FanGraphs to finish the season with a 0.7 WAR or lower.

28. Tampa Bay Rays

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Danny Jansen

1B: Yandy Díaz

2B: Brandon Lowe

SS: Taylor Walls

3B: Junior Caminero

LF: Christopher Morel

CF: Jonny DeLuca

RF: Josh Lowe

DH: Jonathan Aranda

Three Things To Like

1. Yandy Díaz had a disappointing first half last season after winning the AL batting title in 2023, hitting .273 with a .726 OPS. However, the former All-Star bounced back with a .297 batting average and .816 OPS in the second half of the season.
2. Junior Caminero won't turn 22 until July, but he's projected to lead the Rays with a 3.4 WAR. He's got superstar potential.
3. Christopher Morel struggled last year between the Chicago Cubs and Rays, hitting .196 with just a .634 OPS in 152 games. Still, it's hard not to be intrigued by the best-case scenario with him when he's only 25 years old and hit 26 home runs with an .821 OPS just two seasons ago.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. The Rays will be without offseason signing Ha-Seong Kim to open the season as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery that he had last October.
2. Brandon Lowe has played in just 281 of a possible 486 games over the past three seasons. He's a productive player when healthy, but it's a bit of a tough sell to dedicate $10.5 million to him this year when the entirety of the Opening Day payroll for Tampa is projected to be $72.6 million.
3. Taylor Walls may be an excellent defender—he posted 12 defensive runs saved at shortstop last year—but he's a weak link offensively, as evidenced by his .188 career batting average.

27. Colorado Rockies

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Jacob Stallings

1B: Michael Toglia

2B: Thairo Estrada

SS: Ezequiel Tovar

3B: Ryan McMahon

LF: Nolan Jones

CF: Brenton Doyle

RF: Jordan Beck

DH: Kris Bryant

Three Things To Like

1. In addition to winning his second consecutive Gold Glove Award, Brenton Doyle took a major step forward offensively last season by hitting 23 home runs and driving in 72 runs.
2. Jacob Stallings is another player known for his defense that's coming off of a career year at the plate, as he posted an .810 OPS in 82 games for the Rockies in 2024.
3. Thairo Estrada was a nice player to sign for $4 million in hopes of a bounce-back season. He posted a .736 OPS for the San Francisco Giants between 2021 and 2023.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. Nolan Jones looked like an All-Star caliber player in 2023 when he posted a .931 OPS in 106 games. He fell off a cliff last season, though, hitting just .227 with a .641 OPS over 79 games.
2. Kris Bryant looked finished physically last season, but the Rockies still owe him $108 million through the 2028 season. Since joining the Rockies in 2022, the former NL MVP has hit just .250 with 17 home runs in 159 games.
3. Despite playing their home games at Coors Field, the Rockies finished 19th in runs scored last season (682).

26. Los Angeles Angels

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Logan O'Hoppe

1B: Nolan Schanuel

2B: Luis Rengifo

SS: Kevin Newman

3B: Yoán Moncada

LF: Taylor Ward

CF: Jo Adell

RF: Mike Trout

DH: Jorge Soler

Three Things To Like

1. When Mike Trout has been healthy over the last four seasons, he's still been a superstar-level player that's posted a .951 OPS. It's not like this is someone who looks like a shell of himself when he's on the field.
2. Luis Rengifo was one of the more underrated players in baseball last season. He's not going to hit for much power, but he batted .300 and stole 24 bases in 78 games.
3. Jorge Soler is reunited with Ron Washington after the two were previously together in Atlanta when the Braves won the 2021 World Series, which the slugger was the MVP of. Soler has been a bit of a year-to-year proposition in his career, but hit 36 home runs just two seasons ago.

Three Things to Be Worried About

1. As great as Trout's numbers have been when he's played the last four years, he's appeared in just 266 of a possible 648 games. Getting out of center field was long overdue, but moving to right field even feels like a half measure. At this stage, the 33-year-old should probably just be a full-time DH. Regardless, it's hard to feel good about the three-time AL MVP's chances to stay on the field moving forward given how the last four seasons have gone.
2. Anthony Rendon had left hip surgery in mid-February. That might cost him the entire 2025 season, and it's fair to wonder if he's played his last MLB game. Still, the Angels are on the hook for more than $75 million over the next two seasons to a player that's not playing for them.
3. The right side of the infield is suspect. Kevin Newman is a good defensive infielder, but he has just a .665 OPS in his career and will start until Zach Neto is ready to return from shoulder surgery. Meanwhile, Yoán Moncada isn't a bad player to take a flier on, but history tells us he might spend as much time as Trout on the injured list.

25. Pittsburgh Pirates

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Joey Bart

1B: DJ Stewart

2B: Nick Gonzales

SS: Isiah Kiner-Falefa

3B: Ke'Bryan Hayes

LF: Tommy Pham

CF: Oneil Cruz

RF: Bryan Reynolds

DH: Andrew McCutchen

Three Things To Like

1. Former No. 2 overall pick Joey Bart looked like a bust in San Francisco, but benefited from a change of scenery last season, hitting 13 home runs and posting a .799 OPS in his first season with the Pirates.
2. Bryan Reynolds was an All-Star for the second time in his career last season, hitting 24 home runs and driving in 88 runs.
3. There's value in the type of hitter Oneil Cruz was last year, hitting 21 home runs with 34 doubles and 76 RBI.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. It still doesn't feel like Cruz has come close to reaching his potential. While we mentioned the positives at the plate from last year, he also struck out 181 times and posted a .773 OPS last year. That type of OPS would be great for some players, but Cruz still leaves you wanting more.
2. After taking a step forward offensively in 2023, Ke'Bryan Hayes didn't hit a lick offensively in 2024, finishing the season with a .233 batting average and .573 OPS in 96 games. He's a tremendous defender, but given that he's now 28, it's fair to wonder if Hayes will ever put things together at the plate.
3. For a team with a tremendous starting pitching trio in Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and Jared Jones, the Pirates didn't do nearly enough to upgrade their lineup this offseason. 38-year-old Andrew McCutchen and 37-year-old Tommy Pham both have a place in the league still, but neither is an impact player at this point. Pittsburgh badly needs a bounce-back season from Jack Suwinski and an impact from offseason trade pickup Spencer Horwitz when he comes back from wrist surgery to not waste their great pitching.

24. Cleveland Guardians

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Bo Naylor

1B: Carlos Santana

2B: Gabriel Arias

SS: Brayan Rocchio

3B: José Ramírez

LF: Steven Kwan

CF: Lane Thomas

RF: Will Brennan

DH: Kyle Manzardo

Three Things To Like

1. José Ramírez is one of the best players of this era, and increasingly feels like someone who could be destined for Cooperstown. He's coming off of a 2024 campaign where he hit 39 home runs and drove in 118 runs.
2. Stevan Kwan tailed off in the second half of the season, but was a strong offensive player overall last year, hitting .292 with a .793 OPS. He's an excellent table setter when things are going well for him offensively.
3. This lineup could get a boost later in the season if last year's No. 1 overall pick—second baseman Travis Bazzana—has the rapid ascent through the minors that most expect.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. Bringing back Carlos Santana for a third time is a cool story, and even though he's going to turn 39 in April, he was still effective last year. But he's going to be a noticeable downgrade from the 31 home runs and 108 RBI that Josh Naylor had last season.
2. While he did hit a grand slam off of Tarik Skubal in the ALDS, Lane Thomas posted just a .657 OPS after being acquired from the Washington Nationals last summer.
3. The Guardians were one of the final four teams standing last year, but after trading Naylor, they definitely got worse offensively over the winter.

23. Seattle Mariners

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Cal Raleigh

1B: Luke Raley

2B: Ryan Bliss

SS: J.P. Crawford

3B: Jorge Polanco

LF: Randy Arozarena

CF: Julio Rodríguez

RF: Víctor Robles

DH: Mitch Haniger

Three Things To Like

1. Julio Rodríguez rebounded from a disappointing first half last year to post an .818 OPS after the All-Star Break. The two-time Silver Slugger winner should have a much better overall season in 2025.
2. Cal Raleigh isn't going to hit for a high batting average, but it's hard to argue with a catcher that plays his home games at T-Mobile Park and hit 34 home runs with 100 RBI last season.
3. A change of scenery did wonders for Víctor Robles, who hit .328 with 30 stolen bases after he joined the Mariners in June.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. The Mariners did actually finish third in runs scored last September (134), but it was too little too late. Seattle's 676 runs scored in 2024 were 21st in baseball, and the main reason why a team with perhaps the best starting staff in the sport missed the postseason. And the Mariners didn't make any impact additions to their lineup this winter.
2. Mitch Haniger (.620 OPS), Jorge Polanco (.651 OPS), J.P. Crawford (.625 OPS) and Randy Arozarena (.720 OPS) are all coming off of relatively disappointing seasons.
3. The Mariners are paying Mitch Garver $12.5 million this year and he's not even projected to be in the Opening Day lineup after hitting an unsightly .172 in his first season in Seattle.

22. Washington Nationals

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Keibert Ruiz

1B: Nathaniel Lowe

2B: Luis García Jr.

SS: CJ Abrams

3B: Paul DeJong

LF: James Wood

CF: Jacob Young

RF: Dylan Crews

DH: Josh Bell

Three Things To Like

1. James Wood has some work to do as a defender, but his bat will definitely play. In the 22-year-old's first 79 MLB games, he hit nine home runs, drew 39 walks and drove in 41 runs.
2. Dylan Crews' numbers over his first 31 MLB games don't stand out, but Just Baseball's Aram Leighton still has him ranked as the No. 6 overall prospect in the sport entering the season. It's exciting for the Nationals to finally be entering the season with him and Wood in the lineup.
3. Luis García Jr. is one of the more underrated young players in baseball, as the second baseman hit .282 with 18 home runs, 70 RBI and a .762 OPS in his age-24 season.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. CJ Abrams cratered in the second half after being an All-Star last season, posting a .586 second-half OPS and getting optioned late in the year for punishment over "an internal issue." The 24-year-old has a ton of talent, but needs to show he's matured in 2025.
2. Keibert Ruiz—one of the key pieces acquired in the July 2021 trade that sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers—went in the wrong direction offensively last year, hitting just .229 with a .619 OPS.
3. Josh Bell and Nathaniel Lowe are solid additions that should improve Dave Martinez's lineup in 2025, but it would have been nice to see the Nationals try to reel in a bigger veteran star to supplement their young lineup. Pete Alonso would have been a great fit.

21. San Francisco Giants

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Patrick Bailey

1B: LaMonte Wade Jr.

2B: Tyler Fitzgerald

SS: Willy Adames

3B: Matt Chapman

LF: Heliot Ramos

CF: Jung Hoo Lee

RF: Mike Yastrzemski

DH: Wilmer Flores

Three Things To Like

1. New president of baseball operations Buster Posey signed Willy Adames to a seven-year, $182 million deal after he hit 32 home runs and drove in 112 runs for the Milwaukee Brewers a season ago. He should add some much-needed thump to this lineup.
2. Former first-round pick Heliot Ramos was an All-Star last season, hitting 22 home runs with 72 RBI and a .792 OPS.
3. In 96 games for the Giants last season, Tyler Fitzgerald hit 15 home runs and posted an .831 OPS. He'll get a chance to be a starter from the get-go this year.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. Though he's just two seasons removed from hitting 23 home runs, Wilmer Flores feels like a pretty underwhelming DH when he posted a .595 OPS in 71 games last season.
2. Jung Hoo Lee hit .262 with just six extra-base hits in his first 37 MLB games. He's got strong defensive upside, but his offensive performance before a left shoulder injury ended his rookie season was concerning considering the Giants gave him $113 million over six seasons. He's also dealt with back discomfort this spring.
3. Even with the addition of Adames, the Giants still feel another big bat or two away from being able to compete in the loaded NL West.

20. St. Louis Cardinals

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Iván Herrera

1B: Willson Contreras

2B: Brendan Donovan

SS: Masyn Winn

3B: Nolan Arenado

LF: Lars Nootbaar

CF: Victor Scott II

RF: Jordan Walker

DH: Alec Burleson

Three Things To Like

1. Willson Contreras has an .835 OPS over his first two seasons with the Cardinals, so the three-time All-Star definitely has the bat to shift from catcher to first base on a full-time basis.
2. In addition to being a tremendous defender at shortstop, Masyn Winn doubled 32 times in his rookie season.
3. Brendan Donovan not only has defensive flexibility, but he puts the ball in play, as he struck out only 81 times in 153 games last season.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. Nolan Arenado still has pop, but he's declined offensively the last two seasons, posting a .746 OPS. That's a drop of more than 100 points from the prior two campaigns, as Arenado posted an .848 OPS between 2021 and 2022.
2. Former first-round pick Jordan Walker is still only 22, but he's coming off of a disastrous season where he hit just .201 with a .619 OPS in 51 games. Walker may be destined to be a DH, but he needs to show that he's a good enough hitter to justify using him there regularly.
3. Nolan Gorman has 60 home runs in three MLB seasons but isn't projected to be in the Opening Day lineup after hitting .203 last season.

19. Cincinnati Reds

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Jose Trevino

1B: Jeimer Candelario

2B: Matt McLain

SS: Elly De La Cruz

3B: Gavin Lux

LF: Austin Hays

CF: TJ Freidl

RF: Jake Fraley

DH: Christian Encarnacion-Strand

Three Things To Like

1. Elly De La Cruz did strike out 218 times last year, but was still very much a net positive offensively. In an All-Star campaign, he stole 67 bases, doubled 36 times, tripled 10 times and homered 25 times. And it feels like he was only scratching the surface.
2. Matt McLain is back after missing all of the 2024 season recovering from shoulder surgery. He looked like a budding superstar two years ago when he hit .290 with 16 home runs and 50 RBIs in his first 89 MLB games.
3. Jeimier Candelario seems likely to bounce back in his second season with the Reds. For whatever reason, he seems to perform better in odd years. He was an All-Star in 2023, a season that he split between the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs. In 2021, he led all of baseball with 42 doubles. A resurgence at the plate in 2025 would be a great development for new manager Terry Francona.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. While Candelario seems like a good bounce-back candidate to bet on, the Reds may have a few too many guys you are uncertain about in their projected Opening Day lineup. Among them is former All-Star Austin Hays, who was non-tendered by the Phillies this winter after a kidney infection derailed his brief time in Philadelphia.
2. There were high hopes going into last year for Christian Encarnacion-Strand, but he was a massive disappointment, hitting .190 with a meager .513 OPS in just 29 games at the MLB level.
3. Gavin Lux is penciled in as the starting third baseman. A change of scenery could benefit the former Los Angeles Dodger, but he has just a .709 OPS in parts of five MLB seasons.

18. Detroit Tigers

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Jake Rogers

1B: Colt Keith

2B: Gleyber Torres

SS: Trey Sweeney

3B: Javier Báez

LF: Riley Greene

CF: Wenceel Pérez

RF: Kerry Carpenter

DH: Spencer Torkelson

Three Things To Like

1. Spine inflammation limited Kerry Carpenter to just 87 regular season games last year, but he made them count. "Kerry Bonds" hit 18 home runs, drove in 57 runs and posted a .932 OPS when he was in the lineup.
2. Riley Greene looks like he's a building block for the Tigers, as the 24-year-old has an .814 OPS since the start of the 2023 season.
3. Gleyber Torres feels like a good guy to bet on as someone who could get new life to his career with a change of scenery. He may never hit for power the way that he did early in his career, but the 28-year-old hit .333 last September and had some moments as the leadoff hitter for the New York Yankees in the playoffs.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. Matt Vierling is going to open the season on the injured list with a strained right rotator cuff, which could force Javier Báez into the starting lineup. Báez has a .610 OPS in three seasons with the Tigers.
2. Former No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson is entering a make-or-break season after he disappointed with a .219 batting average and 89 OPS+ last year.
3. Trey Sweeney was a strong midseason addition defensively at shortstop last year, as he posted three defensive runs saved after being acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers. But Sweeney hit just .218 in 110 at-bats with the Tigers, so we don't know yet if he's going to hit enough to be an MLB regular.

17. Kansas City Royals

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Salvador Perez

1B: Vinnie Pasquantino

2B: Michael Massey

SS: Bobby Witt Jr.

3B: Maikel Garcia

LF: MJ Melendez

CF: Kyle Isbel

RF: Hunter Renfroe

DH: Jonathan India

Three Things To Like

1. Bobby Witt Jr. finished runner-up to Aaron Judge in AL MVP voting last year, after leading the junior circuit in batting average (.332) and hits (211). He's one of the five best players in the game right now.
2. Salvador Perez is aging like a fine wine. Not only did the nine-time All-Star hit 27 home runs and drive in 104 runs last year, but he also set a new career-high with 44 walks.
3. Vinnie Pasquantino drove in 97 runs last season despite missing the entire month of September with a right thumb fracture.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. The Royals have one of the weakest hitting outfields in baseball. They are running things back with Hunter Renfroe (.689 OPS), Kyle Isbel (.654 OPS) and MJ Melendez (.674 OPS) as their starting outfielders for a second season in a row.
2. Jonathan India was the big offseason pickup, but the former Cincinnati Red has hit .241 with a .722 OPS away from the hitter's haven of Great American Ballpark in his career.
3. In general, the Royals still seem way too reliant on Witt and Perez to carry the offense.

16. Milwaukee Brewers

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: William Contreras

1B: Rhys Hoskins

2B: Brice Turang

SS: Joey Ortiz

3B: Oliver Dunn

LF: Sal Frelick

CF: Garrett Mitchell

RF: Jackson Chourio

DH: Christian Yelich

Three Things To Like

1. William Contreras is arguably the best hitting catcher in baseball, having won a pair of Silver Slugger Awards in two seasons with the Brewers.
2. Christian Yelich will return after back surgery ended his season early last August. The former NL MVP was having a tremendous season before he got hurt, as he hit .315 in 73 games a season ago.
3. Jackson Chourio unfortunately didn't get the buzz he deserved because he was a rookie the same year that Paul Skenes and Jackson Merrill were. But make no mistake, he looked like a superstar in the second half of last season, driving in 44 runs and posting a .914 OPS after the All-Star Break.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. It's going to be nearly impossible for the Brewers to replace the 32 home runs and 112 RBI that Willy Adames turned in last season before departing in free agency.
2. Rhys Hoskins did hit 26 home runs and drive in 82 runs in his first season with the Brewers, but it was still a disappointing campaign considering he hit .214 with a .722 OPS.
3. Oliver Dunn is currently slated to be the starting third baseman. The 27-year-old hit .221 in 41 games last season for the Brew Crew.

15. Minnesota Twins

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Ryan Jeffers

1B: Ty France

2B: Willi Castro

SS: Carlos Correa

3B: Brooks Lee

LF: Trevor Larnach

CF: Byron Buxton

RF: Matt Wallner

DH: Jose Miranda

Three Things To Like

1. Matt Wallner had a slow start to the season that saw him get optioned to Triple-A St. Paul, but he rebounded to post a .914 second-half OPS.
2. Carlos Correa looked like a superstar when healthy last season, posting a .310 batting average and .905 OPS in 86 games.
3. Ryan Jeffers provided some pop from the catcher position last year, hitting 21 home runs.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. Royce Lewis isn't going to be in the Opening Day lineup as he deals with a left hamstring strain that will force him to begin the campaign on the IL.
2. The three best position players on the team—Correa, Lewis and Byron Buxton—are all major injury risks. Buxton is probably the most injury-plagued player in the game today, and yet he led the trio with 102 games played a season ago.
3. Ty France has a .688 OPS over the last two seasons, making him a pretty underwhelming replacement for even a late-career Carlos Santana.

14. Athletics

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Shea Langeliers

1B: Tyler Soderstrom

2B: Zack Gelof

SS: Jacob Wilson

3B: Gio Urshela

LF: Seth Brown

CF: JJ Bleday

RF: Lawrence Butler

DH: Brent Rooker

Three Things To Like

1. Brent Rooker has been one of the best sluggers in baseball over the past two seasons with 69 home runs since the start of the 2023 season.
2. Lawrence Butler posted an .898 OPS after the All-Star Break last year, looking like a superstar in the second half of the season.
3. JJ Bleday's 43 doubles were sixth among all hitters last season.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. Tyler Soderstrom was a first-round pick in 2020 that's still only 23 years old. But across his first 106 MLB games, Soderstrom has hit just above the Mendoza Line at .204.
2. Since posting a .751 OPS between 2021 and 2022, Seth Brown has a .676 OPS the last two seasons.
3. Gio Ushela is penciled in as the starting third baseman, and he's essentially a replacement level player.

13. New York Yankees

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Austin Wells

1B: Paul Goldschmidt

2B: Jazz Chisholm Jr.

SS: Anthony Volpe

3B: Oswaldo Cabrera

LF: Jasson Domínguez

CF: Cody Bellinger

RF: Aaron Judge

DH: Ben Rice

Three Things To Like

1. Aaron Judge is one of the most dominant hitters in MLB history. He's won two AL MVPs over the last trio of seasons, with a staggering 157 home runs and a 1.107 OPS to show for one of the greatest three-year stretches ever.
2. Though he didn't have a great postseason, Jazz Chisholm Jr. seemed reinvigorated by a midseason trade to the Yankees from the Marlins. After putting on pinstripes, Chisholm hit 11 home runs, stole 18 bases and posted an .825 OPS.
3. Austin Wells finished third in AL Rookie of the Year Award voting last season. In addition to his tremendous work behind the dish, Wells hit 13 home runs and drove in 55 runs.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. This was a very top-heavy offense last year, but they had arguably the two best hitters in baseball. Well, Juan Soto is now gone, and he takes with him 41 home runs, 129 walks and 109 RBI from a season ago. And that says nothing of his postseason heroics.
2. There's a thought that the Yankees could be more balanced this season, but we really have no idea what they are going to get from Paul Goldschmidt or Cody Bellinger. Goldschmidt is now 37 and posted a .716 OPS last year for the Cardinals. Bellinger is seemingly a different player every season, and has a 100 OPS+ (exactly league average) in five seasons since winning NL MVP.
3. Giancarlo Stanton found the Fountain of Youth last postseason, hitting seven home runs and winning ALCS MVP. But the five-time All-Star is dealing with injuries in both elbows that could threaten his season.

12. Houston Astros

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Yainer Diaz

1B: Christian Walker

2B: Mauricio Dubón

SS: Jeremy Peña

3B: Isaac Paredes

LF: Jose Altuve

CF: Jake Meyers

RF: Chas McCormick

DH: Yordan Alvarez

Three Things To Like

1. Yordan Alvarez hit what was essentially the game-winning home run in the 2022 World Series and is a three-time All-Star. Yet, his greatness doesn't seem to get enough recognition. Since the start of the 2021 season, Alvarez has 136 home runs and a .387 on-base percentage.
2. Jose Altuve continued his march towards Cooperstown last season by winning his seventh Silver Slugger Award.
3. The Astros added both Christian Walker (.813 OPS the last three seasons) and Isaac Paredes (223 RBI since the start of 2022) this offseason.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. While the Astros acquired Walker and Paredes, they saw probably more net production from their lineup depart in franchise legends Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker.
2. Chas McCormick posted a .786 OPS over his first three MLB seasons, but is coming off of a disastrous 2024 campaign that saw him hit .211 with just a .576 OPS
3. For as nice of an addition as Walker was, he dealt with some oblique soreness earlier this spring. All appears to be good as Opening Day nears, but it's worth monitoring considering he's spent time on the injured list with both right and left oblique injuries in the past and will turn 34 the first week of the season.

11. Toronto Blue Jays

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Alejandro Kirk

1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

2B: Andrés Giménez

SS: Bo Bichette

3B: Ernie Clement

LF: Anthony Santander

CF: Joey Loperfido

RF: George Springer

DH: Will Wagner

Three Things To Like

1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made his fourth All-Star team and finished sixth in AL MVP voting last year after hitting .323 with 30 home runs, 103 RBIs and a .940 OPS.
2. Toronto added the switch-hitting Anthony Santander—who hit 44 home runs for the division-rival Baltimore Orioles last season—in free agency.
3. Will Wagner—son of Hall of Famer Billy Wagner—hit .302 in 82 at-bats after being acquired from the Astros in the Yusei Kikuchi trade last summer.

Three Things To Worry About

1. It feels like Guerrero's impending free agency is going to hang over the entire season.
2. Bo Bichette hit .225 with a .598 OPS in 81 games a season ago. If he doesn't bounce back, the Jays are in trouble. If he does, his future will also be at the forefront of discussion as he's scheduled to be a free agent next offseason as well.
3. George Springer hit .220 with a .674 OPS last season, a pretty concerning output for someone who still has two seasons left on a six-year, $140 million deal.

10. Chicago Cubs

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Miguel Amaya

1B: Michael Busch

2B: Jon Berti

SS: Dansby Swanson

3B: Matt Shaw

LF: Ian Happ

CF: Pete Crow-Armstrong

RF: Kyle Tucker

DH: Seiya Suzuki

Three Things To Like

1. Outside of Juan Soto, Kyle Tucker was the biggest pickup of the offseason. Despite being limited to 78 games last year with the Astros because of a shin fracture, Tucker still hit 23 home runs. He figures to be an NL MVP candidate in his first—and perhaps only—season with the Cubs.
2. Pete Crow-Armstrong could very well be a breakout player in 2025. He struggled in the first half of 2024, hitting .203 with a .582 OPS. However, after the All-Star Break, the former first-round pick hit .265 with a .763 OPS.
3. Injuries have limited Seiya Suzuki to some degree over his first three MLB seasons, so perhaps he'll benefit from being the DH and have less of a workload defensively. He has a .824 OPS since joining the Cubs, so his offensive success has absolutely carried over from Japan.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. Dansby Swanson is still an elite defender at shortstop, but has hit .243 with a .723 OPS over the first two seasons of a seven-year, $177 million deal. Swanson hitting .277 with a .776 OPS and 96 RBI in his final season with the Atlanta Braves increasingly feels like something of an outlier.
2. 35-year-old Jon Berti—who played in 25 games last regular season for the Yankees—seems like a pretty underwhelming second baseman to open the season with.
3. After posting an .823 OPS in the first half of last season, Michael Busch regressed following the All-Star Break, with a .216 batting average and .705 OPS.

9. San Diego Padres

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Elias Díaz

1B: Luis Arráez

2B: Jake Cronenworth

SS: Xander Bogaerts

3B: Manny Machado

LF: Jason Heyward

CF: Jackson Merrill

RF: Fernando Tatis Jr.

DH: Jose Iglesias

Three Things To Like

1. Manny Machado somehow seems to be underrated, but he's going to be a slam-dunk Hall of Famer. He had a slow start last year as he worked his way back from elbow surgery, but managed to hit 16 home runs and drive in 53 runs after the All-Star Break.
2. Speaking of players who had insane second halves, Jackson Merrill posted a .945 OPS after the All-Star Break. Mind you, this is a player who appeared in the Midsummer Classic, so it's not as though he was struggling in the first half. In just about any other year, Merrill would have won NL Rookie of the Year.
3. Fernando Tatis Jr. hasn't quite recaptured the form he had at the plate when he hit 42 home runs in 2021, but it's hard to argue with the 21 home runs, 49 RBIs and 130 OPS+ he finished with over 102 games a year ago.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. Jurickson Profar hit 24 home runs, drove in 85 runs and walked 76 times last season. The Padres are going to be hard-pressed to get a fraction of that production from Jason Heyward and Connor Joe in 2025.
2. In 111 games last season, Xander Bogaerts hit .264 with a .688 OPS. The five-time Silver Slugger still has nine years remaining on his $280 million contract.
3. It just feels like Jose Iglesias is going to have a very difficult time replicating the magic he found with the New York Mets last season when he hit .337 in 85 games after not playing in the majors at all the prior year.

8. Baltimore Orioles

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Adley Rutschman

1B: Ryan Mountcastle

2B: Jackson Holliday

SS: Gunnar Henderson

3B: Jordan Westburg

LF: Tyler O'Neill

CF: Cedric Mullins

RF: Colton Cowser

DH: Ryan O'Hearn

Three Things To Like

1. After winning AL Rookie of the Year in 2023, Gunnar Henderson finished fourth in AL MVP voting last season, hitting 37 home runs with 91 RBI and 78 walks.
2. Jordan Westburg hit 18 home runs and drove in 63 runs in 107 games last season, and it would hardly be surprising if the 26-year-old takes another step forward in 2025.
3. The Orioles signed Tyler O'Neill, who hit 31 home runs and posted an .867 OPS for the division-rival Boston Red Sox last season.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. The problem with the O'Neill addition is the 113 games he played last season were the most since 2021. He's also replacing Anthony Santander, who hit 44 home runs last season.
2. Jackson Holliday may very well turn into a positive, but the former No. 1 overall pick hit .189 with 69 strikeouts in 60 games last season.
3. Cedric Mullins hit .291 with an .878 OPS in 2021. Since then, though, he's hit .244 with a .718 OPS.

7. Boston Red Sox

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Connor Wong

1B: Triston Casas

2B: David Hamilton

SS: Trevor Story

3B: Alex Bregman

LF: Jarren Durran

CF: Ceddanne Rafaela

RF: Wilyer Abreu

DH: Rafael Devers

Three Things To Like

1. While Alex Bregman may not be at his offensive peak, he hit 14 home runs in the second half of the season for the Astros in 2024. He should be a great fit at Fenway Park.
2. Rafael Devers has hit at least 27 home runs and driven in 83 or more runs every full season since 2019. He may not be happy about DHing, but his bat is his meal ticket.
3. In case you weren't aware, Jarren Durran was one of the best players in baseball last season. He led baseball in both doubles (48) and triples (14) in 2024.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. It's perhaps less concerning with the possibility that top prospects Kristian Campbell and/or Marcelo Mayer could play major roles later in the season for the Red Sox, but the middle infield combination of an injury-riddled Trevor Story and David Hamilton is underwhelming.
2. Devers isn't a very good fielder, as evidenced by his minus-62 career defensive runs saved. But some guys who are used to playing the field struggle to adjust to DHing. Given how frustrated Devers was to be pushed off of third, you wonder if his offense will be affected at all.
3. Wilyer Abreu has gotten very few at-bats this spring after a virus sidelined him for most of the Grapefruit League slate.

6. Texas Rangers

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Jonah Heim

1B: Jake Burger

2B: Marcus Semien

SS: Corey Seager

3B: Josh Jung

LF: Wyatt Langford

CF: Evan Carter

RF: Adolis García

DH: Joc Pederson

Three Things To Like

1. The Rangers added some thump in the offseason by acquiring Joc Pederson and Jake Burger. Pederson mashed righties last year, hitting 22 home runs and driving in 60 runs against them. Burger was one of the better players after the All-Star Break, hitting 19 home runs and posting a .901 OPS for the Marlins.
2. Corey Seager is a Hall of Fame-level player when he's healthy. The two-time World Series MVP hit 30 home runs in 123 games a year ago.
3. It feels like a very safe bet that Bruce Bochy and the Rangers will get more than the 91 combined games that Josh Jung and Evan Carter played in a year ago.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. Adolis García regressed to a .684 OPS last year, down significantly from the .836 mark he posted the final season.
2. As great as Seager is, his health history can't be ignored. Over eight full MLB seasons, Seager has played in more than 125 games only four times.
3. Marcus Semien posted a 100 OPS+ last year, meaning he was a league average offensive player despite hitting 23 home runs.

5. Philadelphia Phillies

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: J.T. Realmuto

1B: Bryce Harper

2B: Bryson Stott

SS: Trea Turner

3B: Alec Bohm

LF: Max Kepler

CF: Brandon Marsh

RF: Nick Castellanos

DH: Kyle Schwarber

Three Things To Like

1. Bryce Harper won his fourth Silver Slugger Award last season, hitting 30 home runs and posting an .898 OPS. The future Hall of Famer is still at the height of his powers.
2. Kyle Schwarber has clubbed 131 home runs and drawn 318 walks in three seasons with the Phillies. He's going to strike out quite a bit, but Schwarber sure has been a great Phillie.
3. While it does feel like his best season with the Phillies is yet to come, Trea Turner hit .295 with 21 home runs and 19 stolen bases in 121 games last year.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. Six of the nine players in the projected Opening Day lineup for the Phillies—Harper, Schwarber, Turner, Nick Castellanos, J.T. Realmuto and Max Kepler—are in their age-32 season or older.
2. Kepler has played well this spring, but the long-time Twin was a bit of a curious addition. Not only has he struggled to stay healthy recently, but he gives the Phillies five left-handed hitters in their Opening Day lineup.
3. As great as this Phillies core has been when they are rolling, it is fair to question if they can win enough postseason games without hitting multiple home runs to get over the hump in October.

4. Atlanta Braves

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Drake Baldwin

1B: Matt Olson

2B: Ozzie Albies

SS: Orlando Arcia

3B: Austin Riley

LF: Jurickson Profar

CF: Michael Harris II

RF: Jarred Kelenic

DH: Marcell Ozuna

Three Things To Like

1. Marcell Ozuna is coming off of a fourth-place finish in NL MVP voting after he hit 39 home runs and drove in 104 runs. He should have another strong season in a contract year.
2. Even without Ronald Acuña Jr. out for Opening Day as he continues to recover from his torn left ACL, the Braves lineup features a slew of other players capable of competing for an MVP. We mentioned Ozuna above, while Matt Olson, Austin Riley and Michael Harris II are capable of winning the award too.
3. If the Braves get anything close to the version of Jurickson Profar that was an All-Star for the Padres last year, he'll be one of the biggest pickups of the winter.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. Not only is Acuña coming back from his second ACL tear, but Ozzie Albies comes with quite a lengthy injury history himself.
2. Orlando Arcia was an All-Star in 2023, but hit just .218 in 551 at-bats last season.
3. As excellent as Profar was last year, two seasons ago he struggled so much with the Rockies that they released him during the season. There's definitely some risk in his three-year, $42 million deal.

3. New York Mets

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Luis Torrens

1B: Pete Alonso

2B: Brett Baty

SS: Francisco Lindor

3B: Mark Vientos

LF: Brandon Nimmo

CF: Jose Siri

RF: Juan Soto

DH: Jesse Winker

Three Things To Like

1. Juan Soto has 129 or more walks in four consecutive seasons. He's hit 201 home runs, won five Silver Slugger Awards and made four All-Star Game appearances before his age-26 season. Who knows how he'll perform in the 15th season of his contract, but the Mets will now get the peak years of one of the greatest hitters the sport has ever seen.
2. Pete Alonso is back, and with the chance to opt out next winter, he has quite a bit of motivation to have a rebound campaign. It's pretty wild to think that 34 home runs and 88 RBI last season was considered a down year for Alonso.
3. Francisco Lindor is coming off the best offensive campaign of his career, as he hit 33 home runs and drove in 91 runs en route to finishing second in NL MVP voting.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. Jeff McNeil is going to open the season on the injured list with a strained oblique, which means that former top prospect Brett Baty will probably get the first crack at second base. Mark Vientos seized the hot corner last year, and Baty—who has a .607 OPS in 169 career games—has a lot to prove at a new position.
2. Jose Siri is an elite defensive center fielder, with 12 defensive runs saved and 16 outs above average for the Tampa Bay Rays last year. But he's pretty limited offensively, as he's a .210 career hitter.
3. Francisco Alvarez will open the season on the injured list with a fractured hamate bone in his left hand, which probably cost the Mets an even higher ranking on this list.

2. Arizona Diamondbacks

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Gabriel Moreno

1B: Josh Naylor

2B: Ketel Marte

SS: Geraldo Perdomo

3B: Eugenio Suárez

LF: Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

CF: Jake McCarthy

RF: Corbin Carroll

DH: Pavin Smith

Three Things To Like

1. Corbin Carroll (.919 OPS), Eugenio Suárez (.942 OPS) and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (.844 OPS) overcame slow starts and were among the best players after the All-Star Break last season.
2. Ketel Marte, meanwhile, was excellent all season as he hit 36 home runs and drove in 95 runs. Marte finished third in NL MVP voting.
3. The Diamondbacks replaced Christian Walker by acquiring Josh Naylor, who hit 31 home runs for the Guardians last season.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. Joc Pederson departed in the offseason, and Pavin Smith will likely be a downgrade at DH.
2. Arizona missed the playoffs last year because a good chunk of their lineup underwhelmed in the first half of the season. They need to get off to a better start in 2025, particularly if they want to have any chance to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
3. The high-end pieces for the Diamondbacks might not be quite as good as some of the teams around them, but it's hard to come up with a third critique of this lineup, especially with Randall Grichuk and Alek Thomas as options on the bench.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

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Projected Opening Day Starters

C: Will Smith

1B: Freddie Freeman

2B: Tommy Edman

SS: Mookie Betts

3B: Max Muncy

LF: Michael Conforto

CF: Andy Pages

RF: Teoscar Hernández

DH: Shohei Ohtani

Three Things To Like

1. Last year was supposed to be the season that Shohei Ohtani didn't win an MVP because he was only hitting. Instead, he led the Senior Circuit in home runs (54), RBI (130), on-base percentage (.390), slugging percentage (.646), OPS (1.036), total bases (411) and runs scored (134). Oh, and he stole 59 bases. So he became the first player in MLB history to win an MVP as a primary DH.
2. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are future Hall of Famers, while Will Smith and Teoscar Hernández are among the most productive hitters at their positions.
3. Michael Conforto was a sneaky addition. He hit .216 with a .632 OPS last year in home games with the division-rival Giants. But he hit 17 home runs and posted an .852 OPS on the road. He should benefit greatly from no longer playing his home games at Oracle Park.

Three Things To Be Worried About

1. Whether it's Andy Pages or James Outman, the Dodgers have quite a bit of uncertainty in center field if Tommy Edman has to play second base.
2. Speaking of Edman playing second base, he's there in part because Hyeseong Kim is opening the season at Triple-A. If Kim doesn't pan out, middle infield and/or center field will become a major need for the Dodgers.
3. Freeman will play this season at 35, so it's fair to wonder how many more peak years last season's World Series MVP has. But that's splitting hairs looking for a third thing to be worried about in the best lineup in baseball.