The Atlanta Braves will not be at full strength until Ronald Acuña Jr. is batting leadoff and manning right field, as well as fireballer Spencer Strider is back in the rotation as a top-two or three starter. In the meantime, we have to readjust our brains a bit when it comes to how skipper Brian Snitker will go about penciling his every day lineup. Snitker is so old school and is not much of a tinkerer in-season.
With newcomer Jurickson Profar getting his first start of spring training, batting leadoff and playing in left field, this perhaps gives us the best idea of what the Atlanta starting lineup could look like. Of course, this is still spring training, as Snitker needs to figure out who is going to round out his roster and pitching staff. Sean Murphy is not getting the start behind the plate today, but you get the idea.
Take a look at the top six hitters in Atlanta's batting order vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.
- LF Jurickson Profar
- 3B Austin Riley
- 1B Matt Olson
- DH Marcell Ozuna
- CF Michael Harris II
- 2B Ozzie Albies
- RF Jarred Kelenic
- SS Orlando Arcia
- C Chadwick Tromp
- P AJ Smith-Shawver
Snitker loves to alternate between left-handed and right-handed hitters throughout his batting order.
Jurickson's first start in a Braves uniform 😎#BravesST pic.twitter.com/0jmNcMrJfI
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) February 26, 2025
For as much as the national media dunked on the Braves' offseason, this roster looks pretty good.
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Atlanta Braves give a glimpse to what Opening Day lineup may look like
Because Albies and Profar are switch hitters, I think we could see Murphy hit as high as sixth behind Michael Harris II, but probably no lower than seventh behind Albies, but ahead of left-handed Jarred Kelenic. This really comes down to how much Snitker trusts Murphy's bat. When he is on, he is among the best catchers in baseball. When he is not, we wonder why the Braves got rid of Travis d'Arnaud...
What I am getting at is Profar seems to fit the bill of the leadoff man more than Harris or Kelenic. Both have served in that role at times last year out of necessity, but it is clear that Snitker does not trust Kelenic in that spot, nor does he want to move Harris up and down the lineup after Acuña returns. The other big key here is Snitker likes to have his big bats handling the two-hole, three-hole and cleanup.
This lineup will be centered around Austin Riley, Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna driving in runs. It will be up to Profar to set the table until Acuña returns. My big question now where does Profar go in the lineup after Acuña returns. I think he drops down to at least behind Harris, probably behind Albies and maybe even farther than that. Having Profar batting seventh and manning left field is such a steal.
In the meantime, let's just hope Snitker finds the right lineup to get Atlanta through the first month.