PHOENIX —
Going by conventional baseball wisdom, there was one version of the Dodgers’ new-look batting order that seemed to make the most strategic sense.
Mookie Betts at the top as a power-hitting leadoff threat. Freddie Freeman behind him as an on-base specialist in the No. 2 spot. And then Shohei Ohtani rounding out the superstar trio as the Dodgers’ new No. 3 hitter, where he would be potentially positioned to drive in runs, clear the bases and help put consistently crooked numbers on the board.
When the Dodgers announced their first spring training lineup with all three MVP winners on Tuesday, however, the order of the names was unexpectedly different.