Ex-Philies GM wants Bryce Harper to occupy three-hole in Phillies lineup with a surprising leadoff hitter in front of Trea Turner

Former Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. suggested that putting Bryce Harper in the third spot in their lineup would be the ideal choice, with Trea Turner batting right ahead of him. He also said having a right-hander in Nick Castellanos taking the clean-up role followed by the lefty Kyle Schwarber will make it even more challenging for the opposition to navigate through their batting order.

Ruben Amaro Jr. had an eight-year career in the MLB that he wound down with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1998. He then served nearly a decade in their front office and was the GM of the organization from 2009 to 2015. Amaro Jr. presently works as an analyst and color commentator covering the Phillies for NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Moreover, Ruben Amaro Jr. is a co-host of The Phillies Podcast. He offered his thoughts on the ideal spots for Bryce Harper and his teammates in the Phillies lineup during the show on Friday. [24:07 - 25:11]

"I like the idea of having [Bryson] Stott lead off, then [Trea] Turner, and then Harper," Amaro Jr. said. "Then you can do what you want with [the rest]. Go with [Kyle] Schwarber, perhaps. Or [Nick] Castellanos and then Schwarber.

"Now you're talking about pushing Schwarber so far back in the lineup, but I think that's the left-right combination that would be ideal," he added. "I don't know that putting Schwarber so deep in the lineup makes the most sense, but that gives it the most diversity."

Kyle Schwarber was the leadoff hitter for the Phillies last season and smashed 15 home runs in that role, the most by any player in the MLB over a single season.

"Trea Turner needs to feel comfortable running in front of Bryce Harper:" Ruben Amaro Jr.

Bryce Harper and Trea Turner were also teammates together at the Washington Nationals (Image Source: IMAGN)

Ruben Amaro Jr. said he would have no issues with Bryce Harper hitting second in the Philadelphia Phillies lineup, as long as Trea Turner bats ahead of him in the leadoff spot. He feels having Turner ahead of Harper in the lineup is the best tactic to fully capitalize upon the speed of Turner and the slugging prowess of Harper.

"I'm okay with having Turner at the top. I thought when we first signed him, he was going to be at the top of that lineup," he added. "I want to make sure that if he's in the one-hole and Harper is in the two-hole, that he's not going to be afraid to run. That's something he needs to do and needs to feel comfortable running in front of Harper."

Bryce Harper batted .285/.373/.525 last season with 30 home runs, 87 RBIs and an OPS+ of 149. He was named an All-Star for the eighth time in his career and collected his fourth Silver Slugger award, besides finishing in sixth place for the NL MVP.