Dodgers: What Does a Lineup Look Like in 2023?

We're inching closer to the Dodgers reporting to Camelback Ranch for spring training 2023.

In less than one month, your Dodgers will be coming together in Arizona for spring training 2023. There we'll start to get answers to some of everyone's favorite questions each year... who will be your opening day starter? Do you have a centerfielder yet? What will the lineup look like?

The first question seems easy. If he's healthy, it's Clayton Kershaw and it would be his 10th opening day start with the Dodgers.

Center field? That's a question that will take most if not all of spring to answer. There are plenty of options (none overly appealing) that will have the opportunity to earn a role on the opening day roster.

And the lineup? That's the fun one to think about time and time again throughout an offseason as moves and transactions happen.

As it stands, the Dodgers have seven guys that stand to be regulars. Will Smith will catch, Freddie Freeman will play first base, Max Muncy will be at third base or second, Gavin Lux will be at shortstop or second, Chris Taylor will be in left field, center, or second base, Mookie Betts will be in right field, and J.D. Martinez will be the regular DH.

Miguel Rojas, Miguel Vargas, and Trayce Thompson will factor in the lineup in some way shape or form as well.

So how does it all shake out? Let's work through all of this together...

Some people pitched their ideas on Dodgers Nation's Twitter page.

1. Mookie RF
2. Freeman 1B
3. Smith C
4. JD DH
5. Muncy 2B
6. Lux SS
7. Vargas 3B
8. Thompson CF
9. Outman/Taylor LF

Bench - Barnes, Rojas, Heyward

— BECCCCCAHHHH (@eyybeccs) January 17, 2023

My Opening Day Dodgers Lineup
1. Mookie Betts RF
2. Gavin Lux SS
3. Freddie Freeman 1B
4. Will Smith C
5. Max Muncy 2B
6. JD Martinez DH
7. Chris Taylor LF
8. Trayce Thompson CF
9. Miguel Vargas 3B
SP Julio Urias pic.twitter.com/PwvMC1bLO7

— Daniel Lonen (@DanielLonen) January 17, 2023

1. Betts RF
2. Freeman 1B
3. Smith C
4. Muncy 2B
5. Martinez DH
6. Lux SS
7. Vargas 3B
8. Taylor LF
9. Thompson CF

— ∞ The Infinite Dodger ∞ (@InfiniteDodger) January 17, 2023

Everyone has Mookie leading off, so that part is obvious. The rest is a bit of everything.

We see a lot of Lux and Freeman in the two hole, which makes sense. Max Muncy has also hit second a bunch over his career. More than likely, Dave Roberts and company will aim to split the handedness of the lineup R/L/R/L as best as possible, so any of the above left-handed hitters are certainly the most likely options.

In my opinion, Freddie batting second opens the lineup to more options in the 3-6 holes. The Dodgers got J.D. Martinez to fill the void left behind by Justin Turner who for the greater part of his career in LA hit third in the lineup. So, if J.D. is hitting third, and the lineup plan is to go R/L/R/L, that likely means Muncy would get the first crack at hitting clean up in 2023.

Behind Max, Will Smith makes a bunch of sense, so it seems like our top five is coming together.

1. Mookie Betts RF
2. Freddie Freeman 1B
3. J.D. Martinez DH
4. Max Muncy 3B
5. Will Smith C

Four spots to go. And those last four spots shake out depending on who wins/earns playing time in spring training. Chris Taylor is a Dave fave that has earned playing time from past performance. So, he'll be in the lineup almost daily somewhere. Gavin Lux needs to play every day and Miguel Vargas is a guy the Dodgers are very high on, even if they haven't told him much of the plan for him yet. Notably, he's been working out at second base a lot this offseason. The other Miguel, Rojas, was also just acquired and is the best defensive shortstop on the team by a wide margin. Trayce Thompson will also be given a shot to prove that 2022 wasn't a fluke.

That's five dudes for four spots. And it doesn't take into account playing time for rookie James Outman or veteran Jason Heyward, who will both have opportunities to earn a roster spot this spring.

So, what are my thoughts on all this lineup talk? Well, there are multiple ways we can go with this. There's what lineup do I want to see? And there's what lineup do I think Dave Roberts runs out there?

I usually think in the latter, so this is what I believe Roberts might consider if everyone has a reasonably productive and healthy spring.

1. Mookie Betts RF
2. Freddie Freeman 1B
3. J.D. Martinez DH
4. Max Muncy 3B
5. Will Smith C
6. Chris Taylor LF
7. Miguel Vargas 2B
8. Trayce Thompson CF
9. Gavin Lux SS

Suddenly, the team gets pretty right-hand heavy, so Heyward or Outman in center would break things up a little cleaner in the R/L/R aspect of things. That 6-9 of the lineup also looks like it will produce a lot of strikeouts. Like, a LOT of Ks. So, there's a chance guys like Heyward or Rojas sneak into the lineup in an effort to get a little more bat to ball skills in the lower third of the order. Yes, these two combined to hit .229 in 2022, but also struck out just 93 times over 658 plate appearances. 

If, for the sake of it, we change things up and, let's say, move Gavin Lux up into the number two hole, the complexion of the lineup changes dramatically in the middle.

1. Mookie Betts RF
2. Gavin Lux SS
3. J.D. Martinez DH
4. Freddie Freeman 1B
5. Will Smith C
6. Max Muncy 3B
7. Chris Taylor LF
8. Trayce Thompson CF
9. Miguel Vargas 2B

In this scenario, I just don't see Freddie hitting that low in the lineup. So let's try...

1. Mookie Betts RF
2. Gavin Lux SS
3. Freddie Freeman 1B
4. J.D. Martinez DH
5. Max Muncy 3B
6. Will Smith C
7. Chris Taylor LF
8. Trayce Thompson CF
9. Miguel Vargas 2B

Nicer. A little more balanced. But it puts a lot of pressure on Gavin Lux. Is he ready to step up big in 2023? Another question we'll have for these Dodgers in spring training.

So there you have it, a lot of words for one of the most engaging and somewhat controversial questions of each season. Sure, some of you will be mad at me for writing any of this in the way I did or the order I did. And some will think I'm dead on. But at least we had a nice time along the way.