Analyst Makes Bold Predictions With Guardians Opening Day Lineup

Who will be the Cleveland Guardians Opening Day second baseman is still up for debate.

Mar 1, 2025; Mesa, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians first base Kyle Manzardo (9) hits against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

We're at the point of spring training where it's no longer "just early."

While it's still important to take Cactus League stats with a grain of salt, the Cleveland Guardians have also played enough games where some trends can start to be analyzed more, and with that, start to project what the Opening Day lineup could look like.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently released his updated Opening Day lineup predictions for each MLB team and made a few bold predictions regarding the Guardians.

Here's what the analyst predicts Cleveland's first lineup of the 2025 season to be:

LF Steven Kwan
CF Lane Thomas
3B José Ramírez
1B Carlos Santana
RF Jhonkensy Noel
DH Kyle Manzardo
C Bo Naylor
2B Juan Brito
SS Brayan Rocchio

(It's important to note that Reuter is also projecting the Kansas City Royals to start LHP Cole Ragans, which would explain some of the decisions here.)

The first bold take is to have Kyle Manzardo hitting sixth in the season's first game.

Reuter's rationale is that "Manzardo tallied just 19 plate appearances against left-handed pitching last season, so there's a chance he will be on the bench with southpaw Cole Ragans on the mound for the Royals, but the Guardians could also try to get him more exposure against lefties in his first full season in the majors."

It's an understandable argument. However, one of the reasons Cleveland traded Josh Naylor was the confidence they had in Manzardo to become a top-of-the-order bat.

Moving him this far down in the lineup on day one may not be the best way to prove that.

Mar 1, 2025; Mesa, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians first base Kyle Manzardo (9) hits a single against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The second interesting prediction is having Juan Brito be Cleveland's Opening Day second baseman.

It wouldn't be surprising for Brito to get the first opportunity on the right side of Cleveland's infield, but he certainly isn't a lock to start the year there, either.

No one has really separated themselves in the second-base position battle, and that includes Brito. Cleveland's tenth-ranked prospect is hitting just .077/.200/.308 during spring training.

Brito could very well still be the starting second baseman against the Royals. However, letting his bat get hot in Columbus before making his big league debut is also still a very real possibility.

All will become clear in time, but a version of Reuter predicts could easily be what the Guardians first lineup looks like in 2025.

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