With Opening Day vs. the New York Mets just a short three days away, Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez has the teams lineup all set.
Opening Day 2019 is almost here! We made it through the long offseason and the Washington Nationals have their lineup set and ready to go for Thursday against New York.
After confirming on Saturday that Adam Eaton will be the team’s leadoff hitter, Dave Martinez has the Nationals lineup set for Opening Day. This is how Washington will lineup on Thursday.
1. RF Adam Eaton
2. SS Trea Turner
3. LF Juan Soto
4. 3B Anthony Rendon
5. 1B Ryan Zimmerman
6. 2B Brian Dozier
7. C Yan Gomes
8. P Max Scherzer
9. CF Victor Robles
Robles hitting in the nine spot is not something we have seen from the Nationals in the past. Washington has always been a team that has followed the traditional formula of hitting their pitcher in the nine slot, but Martinez said his staff decided that would be the best formula for scoring runs. (Tweet via Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports)
Also, Davey Martinez said Adam Eaton will lead off, Trea Turner will bat second and Victor Robles will bat ninth. Said after looking at the numbers, that appears to be the lineup order that is best designed to score runs.
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) March 23, 2019
From top to bottom this Nationals lineup looks as good as it ever gas. The top four of Eaton, Turner, Soto, and Rendon can stack up with any top four in Major League Baseball. Washington also has outstanding speed with Robles at the bottom turning the lineup over to Turner and Soto.
Despite Washington having an amazing top four, their five, six, and seven hitters will determine how far the team goes. Ryan Zimmerman is the teams X-Factor, and if he plays even close to the level he did in 2017 the lineup could be the best in the league.
Brian Dozier is also a candidate for a huge bounce-back season, and if Yan Gomes can continue his production from spring training into the regular season he could be one of the most productive catchers in the National League.
Despite all the talk about their supposed lack of power, every guy in the Nationals starting lineup has a chance to hit 15 plus home runs.
The Nationals lineup looks as good as it has in years, and if they can stay healthy Washington will have one of the best lineups in Major League Baseball.