Baltimore Orioles: A Justin Upton Lineup
What might a Baltimore Orioles batting order and lineup look like with Justin Upton added to the team?
Over the course of this offseason as the rumors have included a variety of free agents or trades, we here at The Baltimore Wire have featured a number of articles on what the lineup might look like with various players. We have talked about a Yoenis Cespedes lineup as one example, and on another occasion projected an order including Pedro Alvarez.
It would of course take quite a pile of money to secure Justin Upton, but it is imaginable in a variety of circumstances that may yet unfold. In any event, he would look good in just about any lineup.
But how would he fit around players like Adam Jones and Manny Machado? And with Upton, this puts Mark Trumbo rather regularly in the lineup at first base. Of course the Orioles could add a less-expensive left-handed first base/DH option like Justin Morneau or Pedro Alvarez.
Presuming the Orioles would lead off with new left fielder Hyun Soo Kim, the question is who would bat second between Machado and Upton … with Jones in the clean-up hole. The two players are rather similar in having plus speed, good OBP and significant power. Though we might think of Manny as the better choice for the two hole — recognizing Upton as the more veteran player — if Machado repeats and improves upon 2015, he is the better all-around hitter for the third position. His home run numbers were better, as was his average. The future for Manny is as the best hitter in the lineup and thereby in the third position, so why not make it happen right now?
Again, we can’t know what additional move(s) the Orioles might make, but for this example let’s make Nolan Reimold the DH and bat him ninth. His good OBP could help turn the lineup over.
So here is what it might look like …
- Hyun Soo Kim – LF
- Justin Upton – RF
- Manny Machado – 3B
- Adam Jones – CF
- Mark Trumbo – 1B
- Jonathan Schoop – 2B
- Matt Wieters – C
- J. Hardy – SS
- Nolan Reimold – DH
That is a very good-looking lineup! There is more OBP in that order than the Orioles have seen in a long time. And there is plenty of power. There is no spot in the order that cannot take the ball deep; and together it should make for one of the highest home run totals in MLB.
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My guess is that Showalter would likely flip Schoop and Wieters in this lineup, as he has more confidence in Wieters as a hitter, and he would probably like to get the only other left-handed bat (other than Kim) to the plate as soon as possible. He might even move him up to fifth in the order.
Morneau would be a good addition to mix in. Caleb Joseph could play particularly against lefty starters (though his R/L splits are fairly even). Flaherty would be the presumptive infield utility player along with the Rule 5 draftee as an extra outfielder. This would leave room for one more outfielder like L.J. Hoes, unless the O’s went with 12 pitchers, which might be needed if the starters stink up the place.