Braves: What will the lineup look like on Opening Day? – sportstalkatl.com

The Braves may make a couple more acquisitions between now and Opening Day, but their starting lineup looks to be set in stone unless the universal DH is agreed upon at the final hour. Any additions made between now and late March will most likely be focused on strengthening their bullpen and bench. Perhaps Alex Anthopoulos has a blockbuster trade up his sleeve, but I would be pretty shocked. The Braves should be very confident in the starting lineup they have heading into 2021.

As you can see, not much changes from last years lineup in the NLCS. Acua thrives in the leadoff spot, and with Marcell Ozuna back in the fold, there is no reason to move him from there. He will also move to right field full-time, where hes looked extremely comfortable in the past, now that Cristian Pache has arrived.

The two-hole is really the only spot I see up for grabs. Both Albies and Swanson have hit there and had a lot of success. Im expecting Albies to have a monstrous bounce-back campaign after an injury-plagued 2020, and hes shown much more consistency over his career than Swanson. However, Dansby is trending up, so it wouldnt surprise me if he etched his name on the second spot in the order permanently this season.

After that, I have Freeman moving back to the three-hole.Brian Snitkerspoke to the media yesterday and said he hasnt figured out what the lineup will look like yet, but its obvious Freeman will hit third if there is no DH in the National League. There will be significantly more RBI opportunities for him there.

Ozuna and dArnaud continue to protect Freeman in the order, followed by Swanson, who Ive already discussed, Riley and Pache. Perhaps Riley moves up at some point. Hell have to show more consistency, but his power makes him a middle-of-the-order threat if he can cut down on his strikeouts.

I have Max Fried taking the ball on Opening Day this year, and there isnt anyone more deserving. The strides hes made over the last couple of seasons have been astounding, and I dont expect it to stop. His stuff gets better every year, and his bulldog mentality is what every ace needs. Nobody should be trusted more to get the Braves going on the right foot than the lefty out of Santa Monica, California.

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Braves: What will the lineup look like on Opening Day? - sportstalkatl.com