Despite the season still being 55 days away, a lot of baseball analysts and insiders have given their versions of what the Arizona lineup should look like for the 2023 season. If I were Torey Lovullo, this is the lineup I would roll with for the majority of the season...
- Mccarthy OF
- Rojas 2B
- Carroll OF
- Walker 1B
- Longoria 3B
- Marte SS
- Gurriel Jr OF
- Moreno DH
- Kelly C
Quick Thoughts ⬇️
I absolutely love Jake McCarthy in the leadoff spot. In 64 games after the All-Star break a season ago, Mccarthy impressively posted a .300 AVG, and a .360 OBP. He also swiped 21 bags in those 64 games. A leadoff hitter that can get on base and put pressure on the defense with his speed; couldn’t ask for anything more! Pure baseball poetry…
I can imagine some people thinking to themselves, “Carroll in the 3 spot, isn’t it too soon?” Look, I am aware of how young and inexperienced Carroll is in the big leagues. But man, it is hard not to get excited about this kid. In 93 minor league games last year Carroll was essentially unstoppable at the plate. He hit to the tune of a .307 AVG, an OPS of 1.035, knocked in 62 runs, and scored 89 times. Minor league pitchers certainly couldn't get the best of him and major league arms had a hard time fooling him as well. In his first 32 career games with the D-Backs, Carroll slashed .260/.330/.500; bringing his OPS to .830. To put that into perspective, if Carroll can produce an OPS of .830 over the course of a full season, you could compare that offensive production to the likes of SS Carlos Correa, SS Xander Bogartes, and Phillies slugger OF Kyle Schwarber. So no, I do not think it is too soon, I think Corbin would be up for the challenge and I think he would shine…
I am curious how the D-Backs will use Moreno this season. I have him currently slotted into the DH spot instead of behind the plate because of the sustained success catcher Carson Kelly has had over the years. It is hard to identify even a handful of catchers who have been as consistent as Kelly has been in the last couple of seasons. That being said, I think Moreno is the future catcher of this organization, but for this season at least, Lovullo will have to get creative to get his bat in the lineup. In 62 AAA games last season, Moreno recorded an .806 OPS, knocked in 39 runs, and got on base at a rate of .386. If you don’t know, that is really impressive for a catcher. When he got the call-up to the Jays, Moreno had a .733 OPS, .319 AVG, and knocked in 7 runs in 25 games played. This kid is ready for and can hit in the big leagues. With the proper development, Moreno could become one of the next elite catchers in all of baseball…