Here’s what the Braves’ batting order could look like on Opening Day

For all of the hype surrounding the Dodgers and Mets, who spent a lot of money over the offseason, the Braves still have one of the best lineups in baseball – if not the best, top to bottom.

Usually, we would have a clear idea of the Braves’ projected batting order by now. We have a general idea, but the Braves will begin the season without Ronald Acuña Jr., so you can’t pencil him into the leadoff spot. And Sean Murphy won’t be in the lineup on Opening Day as he heals from a cracked rib.

So, what will the Braves’ batting order look like for that first game in San Diego against right-hander Michael King? Let’s take a stab at it.

Here goes:

LF Jurickson Profar

3B Austin Riley

1B Matt Olson

DH Marcell Ozuna

CF Michael Harris II

2B Ozzie Albies

RF Jarred Kelenic

C Drake Baldwin

SS Orlando Arcia

(On the mound: Chris Sale)

When Acuña returns, he’ll be in the leadoff spot. But for now, I think Profar gets the first crack. This is where manager Brian Snitker has hit Profar all spring. And the numbers support it: Last season, Profar hit .380 with a 1.071 OPS in 19 games in the leadoff spot. Yes, it’s a small sample size, but Profar’s on-base ability gives the Braves a nice element before their big bats.

I feel reasonably confident Riley, Olson and Ozuna will follow Profar. As the spring has gone on, Snitker has grouped these three behind the leadoff man, for the most part. It makes sense.

You could flip Harris and Albies, but I went with Harris first because I like the idea of putting his left-handed bat after Ozuna (a righty) and using Albies, a switch-hitter, to effectively break up the consecutive lefties I have after him. I could see this going either way.

I went with Kelenic ahead of Baldwin. It could be the other way and I wouldn’t be surprised, but Baldwin will be making his debut and hitting eighth would be a low-pressure spot. I’m not sure this matters as much as it might for someone else, as Baldwin has proven his bat can play. But on Opening Day, he’ll be catching Sale and taking his first major-league at-bats, so my guess would be that Snitker puts him down there.

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Also, a note on Kelenic and Baldwin both being lefties: This is less of an issue because Bryan De La Cruz is a right-handed hitter and could platoon with Kelenic. So, he’d be able to come off the bench for Snitker if opposing managers try to pick a lane for matchups with relievers.

All winter, the Braves defended Arcia by saying his offense wouldn’t have been as much of a focus last season if he were batting ninth, as they expected when they went into the season. Well, with an almost-fully-healthy lineup, Arcia can bat ninth. Recently, Snitker said he doesn’t care about spring training statistics and will begin judging Arcia on March 27. This is good news for Arcia.

And, of course, Snitker could go with a completely different batting order than the one I predicted up there. But that’s my best guess with a few days remaining in spring. We should get more clarity in the next couple days.