The Philadelphia Phillies’ postseason lineup construction will play a role in determining their performance in October. In the last two postseasons, the Phillies’ offense has gone quiet at the worst possible time. Both instances saw the batting order play a role. The team has struggled to find a reliable cleanup hitter behind Bryce Harper. While the team did try Kyle Schwarber in that spot during the Bryson Stott leadoff experiment, it did not go well for Stott. Since Stott was moved out of the leadoff spot, the Phillies have had Trea Turner in that role while he has been healthy. With Turner currently on the injured list, the Phillies have had Harrison Bader primarily batting leadoff. Harper also has batted first in the lineup once this season.
Picking the Optimal Phillies Postseason Lineup Construction
Top Three Spots in the Order
Turner should return to the leadoff spot once he comes back from the injured list. This season, Turner has an .835 OPS along with a 130 wRC+ while batting first in the order. Additionally, he has a 0.38 BB/K rate and a .360 BABIP in that spot. For comparison, Turner has a .764 OPS and a 113 wRC+ while batting second this season. Following him and batting second should be Harper. This would allow for Schwarber to bat third and protect Harper in the lineup. If the Phillies want postseason success at the plate, protecting Harper is essential. Last season in the NL Division Series, the New York Mets walked Harper five times and largely pitched around him. Having Schwarber third means the opposing team will have to pitch to Harper more often.
Middle Three Spots in the Order
The Phillies have options when deciding who should bat cleanup. Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto are probably the frontrunners. To try and spread out left-handed and right-handed hitters, Brandon Marsh should bat fifth, presumably in between Bohm and Realmuto. This season, Bohm has a .534 OPS and a 46 wRC+ batting cleanup. Meanwhile, Realmuto has a .683 OPS along with an 88 wRC+ batting fourth in the order. Another scenario is Bader bats cleanup, followed by Marsh and Bohm, which might be the way to go looking at the splits Bohm has. Bohm has a .947 OPS and a 158 wRC+ batting sixth this season. In addition to that, Realmuto has a .907 OPS and a 152 wRC+ when batting sixth this season.
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Bottom Three Spots in the Order
The seventh spot will be split based on the Phillies’ outfield platoon in right field. This area is still important to the Phillies’ postseason lineup construction because it sets up the top of the order. When Nick Castellanos is in the lineup, he would bat seventh in this scenario with Realmuto eighth and Stott ninth. However, when Max Kepler is in the lineup, Realmuto would bat seventh with Kepler eighth and Stott ninth. Castellanos has a .938 OPS and a 164 wRC+ when batting seventh this season. To add, Kepler has a .771 OPS and a 105 wRC+ when batting eighth in the order. This adjustment, based on who is playing right field, is to try and maximize offensive production based on where a player has had success in the lineup this season.
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