Baltimore Orioles: Projecting the 2022 Opening Day lineup

As we start to reach the end of spring training, the question starts coming up for all 30 MLB teams, “What will the Opening Day lineup look like?” This post will be my best guess at what the Baltimore Orioles lineup will look like, when they open the season on April 8 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Here is a projected Opening Day lineup for Baltimore Orioles against the Tampa Bay Rays

CF Cedric Mullins — Baltimore’s lone 2021 All-Star, Mullins had a great 2021 season, finishing ninth in MVP voting, He has struggled somewhat in spring training, but he should be able to turn that around come Opening Day.

1B Ryan Mountcastle — A Rookie of the Year candidate in 2021, he had a very slow start to the season, but really came into his grove following May. He will split time between first base and designated hitter this season with Trey Mancini.

RF Anthony Santander — Santander has been a decent everyday right fielder for the Orioles when he is able to stay healthy. He is just saving the space for the prospects coming up over the next year or two (Heston Kjerstad, Colton Cowser, etc.).

DH Trey Mancini — As an Orioles fan, hearing all of the trade rumors surrounding Mancini is extremely disheartening, especially with him coming back from colon cancer. A Home Run Derby participant in 2021, he should really fall more into his own after a full 2021 season and, hopefully, the team will give him the extension he deserves.

LF Austin Hays — Austin Hays quietly had a good season with the Orioles, hitting 22 home runs, and batting a decent .256 clip. I personally feel that, by giving Hays the opportunity to play in his second full season, he will have the chance to have a breakout season in 2022.

2B Ramon Urias — Another Oriole who quietly had a good 2021 season, Urias batted .279 last season, but didn’t play great defense. Hopefully he picks it up defensively, as he had 12 errors in 80 games between second base and shortstop in 2021.

SS Jorge Mateo — This is where one of my first question marks in the lineup is, as Mateo was a great pickup for the Orioles last season, but the Orioles have picked up multiple infielders in free agency (Rougned Odor, Chris Owings, and others), but I personally feel this is Jorge Mateo’s spot for now, barring any injuries.

C Robinson Chirinos — Another Orioles free agency signing, Chirinos is just keeping the seat warm until Adley Rutschman is called up, hopefully in late April or early May. When that happens, Chirinos will move into a backup catcher’s role.

3B Kelvin Gutierrez — This is where the question comes in. Chris Owings has had a pretty good spring training, but so has Kelvin Gutierrez. This is a very tough position to fill, because both guys have had an interesting spring, but I personally think Baltimore puts Gutierrez here for the time being.

SP John Means — Means has had an off spring training, but he has already been announced as Baltimore’s Opening Day starting pitcher, which is to no one’s surprise. Until Grayson Rodriguez and D.L. Hall get called up, Means is Baltimore’s best starting pitcher.

Who is on the Baltimore bench?

Obviously, there are still players who will fill bench roles, if they aren’t send down to the minor leagues. Outfielders Ryan McKenna and D.J. Stewart will fight for the fourth outfield spot on the roster, while infielders Rougned Odor, and Chris Owings will be fighting for that utility spot on the bench.

There will be more questions that need to be answered as GM Mike Elias eventually starts calling some of the Orioles prospects up but, for now, those are questions that can remain unanswered.