PEORIA, Ariz. — It was a spring training lineup.
The first game of spring training.
But the batting order Craig Stammen decided on for his debut as a manager offered some intrigue, and he did little dissuade drawing conclusions.
For one thing, it seems Fernando Tatis Jr. will not be atop the order in 2026.
Whether he regularly bats clean-up, as he did in Friday’s 7-4 exhibition loss to the Seattle Mariners, has not been determined. Stammen, though, is clearly considering it.
“I have some reasons why I want him batting behind Manny (Machado), and I think you guys can figure that out,” Stammen said. “And talking with him, leading off may have not been something he felt he was the best at, but he knew that was the best for the team in the past. Will he lead off at some point during the season? Maybe. That might happen. Right now, we’re going to try something different and see how it looks.”
Instead of Tatis, who led off in 150 of his 155 starts last season, it was Xander Bogaerts at the top of the order on Friday. He was followed by Jackson Merrill, Machado and Tatis with Jake Cronenworth, Nick Castellanos, Luis Campusano, Ty France and Nick Schnell in the bottom five spots.
A yellow light should almost always be heeded when attempting to read into a spring training lineup. And Friday’s construction was partially a product of who was missing and who will be missing.
“You’re always experimenting with stuff,” Stammen said. “But I think the main thing is we’ve got to get Xander, Manny, ‘Tati’ ready for the WBC. So they’re at the top to get some (at-bats).”
Additionally, regulars Gavin Sheets and Ramón Laureano did not play Friday.
Laureano, who hit .281/.342/.512 last season, could conceivably bat at or near the top of the order on occasion.
But even considering those caveats, the first four Stammnen ran out Friday sure seemed to be under strong consideration.
The argument against having Tatis bat fourth is that one of the team’s most dangerous hitters might not bat in the first inning and would get fewer plate appearances overall. (Over the course of a season, a No.4 hitter generally gets to the plate between 50 and 75 fewer times than the lead-off batter.)
The argument for Tatis in the four-hole is that he could be a run-producing machine.
“I can protect Manny,” Tatis said after the game. “It’s a tough job to do, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Tatis said his approach is no different batting fourth.
“I can still get on base, and can still hit it over the fence,” he said.
But locked into the No.1 spot last season, Tatis did have the highest walk rate (12.9%) and lowest slugging percentage (.444) of his career.
Tatis has hit lead-off more than any other spot in his six big-league seasons, though the No.2 spot is not far behind. In 2021, the season he led the National League with 42 home runs, he hit second 64 times, fourth 32 times, first 24 times and third five times.
baseball-reference.com
Fernando Tatis’ career stats at each spot in the batting order.
“I can do everything in the lineup,” Tatis said. “So I’m not afraid of it. … I don’t care where I hit. I’m just a good baseball player, and I can do everything out there.”
Bogaerts has primarily hit in the middle of the lineup in his career, but he has led off 53 games since joining the Padres in 2023.
“I like it,” Bogaerts said. “You can’t start without me if I’m hitting first.”
Stammen alluded to Bogaerts stealing a career-high 20 bases and going 4-for-12 in the postseason. Bogaerts also hit .301/.356/.475 over his final 64 games after hitting .227/.303/.324 in his first 72 games.
“Like we saw last year, he brought some speed to the table,” Stammen said. “But I think I’m more excited about the bat that he showed in the playoffs and that he could be a guy that we really want at the top of the order that will set the tone and give a pitcher something he has to be prepared for.”
Peoria, AZ – February 20: Manny Machado #13 of the San Diego Padres pops out against the Seattle Mariners during a spring training game on February 20, 2026 in Peoria, AZ. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Merrill hit second in just 11 starts over his first two major league seasons. But his slotting there breaks up a run of right-handed batters.
“I do like the concept of what that could be,” Stammen said. “I like him (near) the top too. He’s just an energy giver and takes at-bats, prepares the right way. Getting him to hit in the first inning I think is a good thing for our team. We’ll see how it works going through spring, and then if that’s what we want to roll out at the beginning of the season.”
Two batters into Friday’s game, it seemed the first inning might become an example of what could go right with Stammen’s configuration.
Bogaerts led off with an infield single and Merrill worked a nine-pitch walk. But Machado popped out behind home plate and Tatis struck out on three pitches before Jake Cronenworth lined a ball to the gap in right field that Dominic Canzone caught with a running dive.
Cronenworth’s single in the fourth inning would be the only other time one of the Padres’ starting top five reached base in their 10 total plate appearances.
But Stammen will take it for Day 1.
“We made it tough on the pitcher,” Stammen said. “Like, it wasn’t an easy first inning. It wasn’t an easy second inning. We made it tough on the pitcher, and that’s all we can do as hitters, as an offense, is make it really tough on the pitcher and make him work.”