With less than a month to go before spring training starts in Arizona and Florida, we have a good idea of how MLB‘s top lineups will shake out for 2014.
Looking at the free-agent market, there are only three available players left who figure to have a shot at being in the heart of a 2014 batting order: first baseman Kendrys Morales, outfielder Nelson Cruz and shortstop Stephen Drew.
So when looking at baseball’s most deadly 3-4-5 combos heading into the spring, the rosters around the league are all but set.
Now, the following list of baseball’s most feared heart of the orders come with some caveats.
With new coaching staffs around MLB and players changing teams via free agency and trades, we don’t know exactly how each club will pencil in its starting lineup. You won’t find the Boston Red Sox on here, for example, since last year’s No. 3 hitter, Dustin Pedroia, likely will move up to the No. 2 hole without Jacoby Ellsbury in 2014, and perhaps pushing up David Ortiz and Mike Napoli earlier in the lineup. This may hurt the overall strength of the team’s 3-4-5 hitter combo.
With those things in mind, here’s a look at the top projected 3-4-5 trios around the league heading into 2014.