Who Will Take the Leadoff Spot in the Phillies Lineup?
As opening day is right around the corner for the Phillies, there is one glaring question remaining entering the 2025 season. Who will hit in the leadoff spot for the Phillies: Trea Turner or Kyle Schwarber? Earlier this week, manager Rob Thomson discussed the question by stating that, “It could be, against a lefty Tuner leads off, against a righty, Schwarber leads off.” With still no official decision on who it will be, many have chimed in on who they want to lead the Phillies’ lineup. Either way, the Phillies could outright name one player over the other, or, as Thomson mentioned, a game-by-game approach. In the end, the decision will be up to Thomson, however, there are pros and cons to each player.
Kyle Schwarber
Last season, Schwarber was named as the leadoff hitter for the Phillies, and he provided a good impact. Even historically, since signing in Philadelphia, he has served as the leadoff hitter for the team. Schwarber is among the players with the most power in the MLB which can shown by his 38 home runs last season, eighth in the MLB. Out of his 38 home runs, 15 of those were leadoff home runs that allowed for the Phillies to hop out to an early lead. Outside of his hitting power, Schwarber is one of the best in the MLB at drawing walks. In 2024, he was third in the MLB in walks with 106. The negatives with Schwarber at the leadoff position are that he is strikeout-prone. Schwarber was third in the entire MLB in strikeouts with 197, even with his 0.248 batting average. With an explosive offense like the Phillies have, there is so much power behind the leadoff spot that just getting on base can be as important as a home run can be.
Trea Turner
Before signing with the Phillies, Turner had a lot of experience in the leadoff position in his career. Now, during his time with the Phillies, he has primarily been seen batting second in the lineup and has sometimes struggled. This spring training, however, Turner has been given more opportunities to be the leadoff man. For Turner, his strength is getting on base, and that is exactly what the Phillies’ offense could need. With the power of players like Bryce Harper, Schwarber, and Alec Bohm getting on base is super important because there is power waiting to come to the plate. Last season, Turner batted a 0.295 batting average at the plate while limiting his strikeout numbers to only 98, almost 100 fewer than Schwarber. The downside is that the hitting power is not as strong as Schwarber’s, however, Turner still had 21 home runs on the season. The decision is still up to the Phillies on who they will pick as their leadoff to start the season, less than a day away.
