Robot umpires take to the field for baseball’s spring training
Technology and tradition are converging this spring training as MLB tries out AI-based umpires.
The dawn of a new MLB season is upon us. In some people’s minds, it’s actually already started. However, an overseas series between two teams you probably don’t root for doesn’t have the same feel as a traditional Opening Day. You get out to the game, buy some overpriced drinks and hot dogs with your friends and/or family. Nothing could ruin that day, except for watching your favorite team get shut out of course!
They say defense wins championships, but offense is what keeps fans invested. You think fans want to drive an hour out to the ballpark, spend another 45 minutes looking for parking just to pay $35 for a spot three-quarters of a mile away, spend way too much money on food and drinks, just to watch a solid six innings of three-hit shutout ball? No way.
Guys and girls of all ages love to see their favorite team rack up a monstrous score. They love hits. They love runs, and everyone digs the long ball. So, with that in mind, here are the lineups that are going to have fans jumping out of their seats with joy constantly throughout the 2025 season. These are the ten best lineups in MLB.
Best lineups in MLB
10) Texas Rangers
1. Marcus Semien, 2B2. Corey Seager, SS3. Wyatt Langford, LF4. Adolis Garcia, RF5. Joc Pederson, DH6. Josh Jung, 3B7. Jake Burger, 1B8. Jonah Heim, C9. Leody Taveras, CF
The Texas Rangers’ offense took a major step back in 2024, but they are bound to bounce back this season. Last year was a down year for Semien, Seager, Garcia, and Heim, yet the Rangers still ranked 18th in runs scored. With the return of Evan Carter, likely returns to form for at least some of these players, and the additions of Joc Pederson (hit .281/.392/.531 with 22 homers against righties last year) and Jake Burger (19 home runs after the All-Star break), there’s a lot to love about this team’s chances.
9) San Diego Padres
1. Luis Arraez, 1B2. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF3. Jackson Merrill, CF4. Manny Machado, 3B5. Xander Bogaerts, SS6. Jake Cronenworth, 2B7. Yuli Gurriel, DH8. Brandon Lockridge, LF9. Elias Diaz, C
The San Diego Padres are not in a better place than they were last year. The team lost All-Star Jurickson Profar to the Atlanta Braves, but what remains is still a very competent lineup. The top five are all well above average hitters, and both Cronenworth and Gurriel are proven bats that, albeit, may need to be platooned.
Still, this is a team that ranked top-ten in both runs and home runs, playing at a ballpark that has been notoriously pitcher-friendly over the last three years, ranking 28th in park factor. That shows you the power that this lineup has.
8) Baltimore Orioles
1. Colton Cowser, LF2. Adley Rutschman, C3. Jordan Westburg, 2B4. Ryan O’Hearn, DH5. Tyler O’Neill, RF6. Ryan Mountcastle, 1B7. Cedric Mullins, CF8. Ramon Urias, 3B9. Jackson Holliday, SS
While the Orioles certainly had their issues a season ago, there’s a lot of reason to believe they’ll bounce back nicely. For one, they moved their left field wall in, which had taken away a considerable amount of home runs from players like Mountcastle in recent years. Second, while they did lose 44 home runs from Anthony Santander, they replaced him with Tyler O’Neill, a more versatile fielder who hit 31 bombs in 113 games last year. Lastly, Rutschman and Holliday are too talented to let their 2024 seasons define them. Both players will likely bounce back.
Oh, and by the way, this projected Opening Day lineup doesn’t even include MVP candidate Gunnar Henderson who is the obvious catalyst in this offense.
7) Chicago Cubs
1. Ian Happ, LF2. Kyle Tucker, RF3. Seiya Suzuki, DH4. Michael Busch, 1B5. Dansby Swanson, SS6. Nico Hoerner, 2B7. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF8. Matt Shaw, 3B9. Miguel Amaya, C
This Cubs team ranked 12th in runs scored a season ago and improved their lineup, replacing Cody Bellinger with MVP candidate Kyle Tucker. With additional big league experience for Seiya Suzuki, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Matt Shaw, the Cubs could fire more efficiently on all metrics in 2025, while still having question marks at the catcher and third base positions.
6) Boston Red Sox
1. Jarren Duran, LF2. Rafael Devers, DH3. Alex Bregman, 3B4. Triston Casas, 1B5. Trevor Story, SS6. Wilyer Abreu, RF7. Connor Wong, C8. Kristian Campbell, 2B9. Ceddanne Rafaela, CF
The Alex Bregman signing doesn’t tickle my fancy the way it has for most people, but everything else about this lineup screams remarkable. Kristian Campbell is a superstar in the making. Duran is an electric leadoff hitter. Devers is one of the best in the league. Casas has some serious pop in the 4-hole. Trevor Story is too talented to have his 2024 define him. Connor Wong is one of the better-hitting catchers in baseball. Oh, and they have other talented prospects like Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer waiting in the wings.
The only thing to dislike is how crowded the middle infield positions are. You have Bregman, Story, Campbell, and Mayer all vying for shortstop and second base positions, so the team may not know what to do with all of them. However, if that is your biggest problem, having so many good players that you can’t field them all at the same time, you’re in good shape.
5) New York Yankees
1. Austin Wells, C2. Aaron Judge, RF3. Cody Bellinger, CF4. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B5. Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B6. Anthony Volpe, SS7. Jasson Dominguez, LF8. Ben Rice, DH9. Oswaldo Cabrera, 3B
The loss of Juan Soto is obviously huge, but the team made a solid effort to recreate him in the aggregate (shout out Brad Pitt). They brought in Cody Bellinger, who alone obviously does not replace Soto, but the addition of Paul Goldschmidt, which solidifies their hole at first base, as well as a full season from Jazz Chisholm, might just make this team as dangerous as they were a year ago.
For perspective, the Yankees’ first basemen slashed .216/.284/.335 last season, good for a 69 OPS+. While Goldschmidt certainly had the worst season of his career in 2024, he still put up far better numbers than what the Yankees got, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see Goldschmidt improve drastically in a much more hitter-friendly ballpark.
4) New York Mets
1. Francisco Lindor, SS2. Juan Soto, RF3. Pete Alonso, 1B4. Mark Vientos, 3B5. Brandon Nimmo, LF6. Starling Marte, DH7. Jose Siri, CF8. Luis Torrens, C9. Luisangel Acuña, 2B
In 2023, the New York Yankees were below league average in runs scored. In 2024, they brought on Juan Soto and were third in all of baseball. While a similar jump for the Mets shouldn’t be expected, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
Sure, Mark Vientos’ underlying stats weren’t great, but Brandon Nimmo’s were solid and he had an awful year. He’s bound to bounce back. Sure, Starling Marte might struggle against righties, but the Mets have Jesse Winker to platoon for him. Sure, Luisangel Acuña might be inexperienced, but he’s impressed everyone who’s witnessed him in action. The Mets have a knack for underperforming. Just ask any of their fans, but there’s too much to like about this team’s offense to place them any lower than fourth.
3) Philadelphia Phillies
1. Trea Turner, SS2. Bryce Harper, 1B3. Alec Bohm, 3B4. Kyle Schwarber, DH5. J.T. Realmuto, C6. Max Kepler, LF7. Nick Castellanos, RF8. Bryson Stott, 2B9. Brandon Marsh, CF
The Phillies were a top-five offense in baseball last year and return all of their best players. While inconsistency among individual players is an issue for this group, they never seem to be inconsistent at the same time, which oddly enough, has given the Phillies a very consistent floor throughout the last several seasons.
Turner and Harper are obviously tremendous players with MVP-caliber upside, but it’s the raw power guys like Schwarber, Kepler, and Castellanos that make this team so deadly. Any of them could take you yard at any moment. So while their collective batting averages might be low, they still manage to put up more runs than almost every other team in baseball.
2) Atlanta Braves
1. Jurickson Profar, LF2. Austin Riley, 3B3. Matt Olson, 1B4. Marcell Ozuna, DH5. Ozzie Albies, 2B6. Michael Harris II, CF7. Drake Baldwin, C8. Jarred Kelenic, RF9. Orlando Arcia, SS
That lineup above seems really solid right? After all, Olson, Riley, and Ozuna are three of the game’s best pure hitters. Then there’s Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris, each of whom can do serious damage on their own. I haven’t even touched on the addition of Jurickson Profar, which could also be a major addition. Then you remember that Ronald Acuña Jr. is hurt and this isn’t even a full-powered Braves lineup.
While Acuña could very easily miss a month or more of the season, this Braves lineup is still very solid without him, arguably top-five in baseball. Then, you throw an MVP candidate in the mix and it’s twenty times more deadly.
While 2024 was a down season for guys like Riley and Olson, both players are too talented to not return to form in 2025. The biggest question mark on this team is Profar, who had a tremendous 2024 in San Diego, but has struggled to perform outside of Southern California for most of his career. Regardless, he boasts tremendous plate discipline, which is a must-have for a top-of-the-lineup hitter like Profar is expected to be. If Drake Baldwin can blossom into the awesome catcher he can be, Atlanta may have the best lineup in baseball top to bottom. Even if he doesn’t though, Sean Murphy remains one of the best defensive catchers in baseball. He’s also just one year removed from 21 homers and a 127 OPS+. He could easily bounce back.
1) Los Angeles Dodgers
1. Shohei Ohtani, DH2. Mookie Betts, SS3. Freddie Freeman, 1B4. Teoscar Hernandez, RF5. Will Smith, C6. Michael Conforto, LF7. Max Muncy, 3B8. Tommy Edman, 2B9. Andy Pages, CF
Three former MVPs is tough to beat. When your lineup is so good that a former All-Star with a career 121 OPS+ in Michael Conforto is hitting near or at the bottom, you know you’re going to put up a lot of runs. They’ve got Max Muncy, who had an OPS+ of 141 a year ago, hitting seventh. They’ve got Tommy Edman, who has racked up at least 40 extra-base hits in each of his last three full seasons batting eighth. This is a monster lineup and we haven’t even talked about the best parts.
Obviously, the gems of this lineup lie in Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman. Those three alone could make the devil blush. While Betts is still battling illness as we approach Opening Day, there is plenty of reason to assume he won’t be out for very long if at all.
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