Miami Marlins Opening Day is here, but the team first released its first lineup of the campaign Monday.
Before the lineup was released, there were some givens. Dee Gordon hitting in the lead off spot is one. Wei-Yin Chen batting ninth is another.
And the Marlins made it clear they would have Christian Yelich and Giancarlo Stanton batting in either the three of four spots.
Marcell Ozuna's spot was not discussed much, but it appears the Marlins want to take advantage of his versatility. In the first game of the season, Ozuna will be batting in the two spot.
Tomorrow's lineup:@FlashGJr 4
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) April 4, 2016
Ozuna 8@ChristianYelich 7@Giancarlo818 9
Prado 5@bour41 3@JTRealmuto 2@Adeiny3 6@WeiYinChen16 1
How much success could Ozuna have in the two spot?
That could be determined over the next few weeks, but it's an interesting spot for Ozuna, who likely has more power than the prototypical two hitter.
Ozuna, according to several reports, was in better shape when he arrived in Jupiter this spring, which should inevitably positively affect his game.
Ozuna has seen time in the bottom portion half of the Marlins' lineup but also has experience batting directly behind Giancarlo Stanton. He might not have as many RBI opportunities batting behind Gordon but should be able to get on base ahead of Stanton and Yelich.
Over 123 games with the Marlins last season, Ozuna batted .259/.308/.383 to complement 10 home runs and 44 RBIs. He spent a significant amount of time in Triple-A, but it appears that is the past.
In order for the offense to have success, Ozuna has to contribute on a nightly basis. When he is thriving, the Marlins can easily have one of the best outfields in baseball.
Manager Don Mattingly's impact is already clear just by his first lineup. It could be something to monitor as the season progresses.