Fans often have questions about batting orders. They’re sure they have a better batting order than the one by the manager.

There will be even more questions going into spring training because one of the mainstays in last season’s Orioles lineup, Anthony Santander, signed a free-agent contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. Santander started at least 20 games in the second, third, fourth and fifth spots in the batting order, the only player to do that, and was a switch-hitter.

He could be replaced by multiple players — right-handed hitting outfielder Tyler O’Neill, left-handed hitter Heston Kjerstad and switch-hitter Dylan Carlson.

Let’s look at some ins and outs of last season’s order and see what clues they could provide for this season.

Don’t look for many answers during the monthlong Grapefruit League schedule that begins February 22^nd. Those lineups are designed to give frontline players enough at-bats to get ready for the season and to give manager Brandon Hyde and executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias looks at younger players who won’t start the season with the team and players who could be used in case of trades or injuries.

Last year’s most frequent leadoff hitter was shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who occupied that spot in 119 games. Henderson batted third 33 times and cleanup four times. Some fans think Henderson should be in the third or fourth spot, but the 23-year-old hit .294 with a .941 OPS, slamming 31 home runs and driving in 73 runs in the leadoff spot. Henderson was less productive batting third, which he often did against left-handers, hitting .246 in 33 games. In five games batting fourth, Henderson was 5-for-23 (.217).

Catcher Adley Rutschman, who batted leadoff 41 times and second 107 times in 2023, hit leadoff just twice last year and batted in the two-spot 116 times. Rutschman hit .245 with a .702 OPS,17 home runs and 65 RBIs.batting second, and hit .319 with an .845 OPS in 18 starts in the fifth spot.

Henderson at leadoff and Rutschman batting second were the only places  in the 2024 Orioles lineups where there was any consistency.

Hyde used 144 different lineups last year, and didn’t use the same lineup more than three games.

The third spot was perhaps the most interesting because four players — Ryan O’Hearn (49) Santander (40), Ryan Mountcastle (36) and Henderson (33) — each started more than 30 times, the only position with that split. O’Hearn hit .250 with seven home runs, 27 RBIs and a .709 OPS batting third. His best numbers came in the 12 games he started batting sixth (.396 with a .994 OPS).

Mountcastle had starts from second through seventh in the order and hit slightly better in the third spot (.258 with a .772 OPS, seven home runs and 22 RBIs) than anywhere else. Santander, who also started 20 games batting second, 59 batting fourth and 35 batting fifth, hit 13 home runs each in the third, fourth and fifth spot, but his best OPS (.870) came from the five-hole.

Santander, O’Hearn (43), and Mountcastle (32) were the only players with 20 or more starts batting cleanup.

As for O’Neill, who played for the Boston Red Sox in 2024, he was best batting fifth with a .279 average and .967 OPS. He hit 11 home runs, driving in 21 runs. Batting third, he hit 12 homers and drove in 26 but hit .213 with a .738 OPS.

Third baseman Jordan Westburg had starts in every spot but ninth. He started 35 games batting fifth, his most at any position. His most success came batting sixth (.330 with a .952 OPS, five home runs and 23 RBIs in 29 games).

Like Westburg, leftfielder Colton Cowser was in his first full season in the major leagues. Cowser had 30 starts batting sixth and 31 hitting seventh. He excelled in the seven-hole (.315 with a .927 OPS).

Centerfielder Cedric Mullins had the most starts hitting both seventh (46) and eighth (32), but like Westburg hit his best in the sixth position (.256 with a .789 OPS).

Hyde will have all these players along with Carlson, Kjerstad, second baseman Jackson Holliday, infielder/outfielder Jorge Mateo, infielder Ramón Urías, and catcher Gary Sánchez to decide among at spring training. Hyde wants to alternate right and left-handed hitters as much as he can and tries to set up appropriate matchups for pinch-hitters against relievers late in the game.

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