Constructing an Opening Day lineup out of the Detroit Lions' roster

Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Tigers game in 2024, but we’re going to trust him to handle the Keystone. (Getty Images)

Detroit — After something of an exhaustive week of Detroit Lions news, let’s sit back and collectively enjoy Opening Day in Detroit as the Tigers host the St. Louis Cardinals at Comerica Park on Friday afternoon.

Now, we’re not about to pivot on our primary coverage topic here at DFN. If you’re looking for more in-depth Tigers reporting and analysis, my former Detroit News Colleague Lynn Henning recently launched the Tigers Intelligence Report for your fix.

But let’s have a little fun marrying my expertise with this unofficial sports holiday, generating an Opening Day lineup from the Detroit Lions roster. We’ll be back to your regularly scheduled pre-draft programming next week.

Defensive alignment

C - Hogan Hatten

1B - Alim McNeill

2B - Amon-Ra St. Brown

SS - Jahmyr Gibbs

3B - Jack Fox

LF - Jacob Saylors

CF - Kerby Joseph

RF - Jack Campbell

SP - Jared Goff

Thoughts: Hatten was a high school first baseman and pitcher, but we’re putting him behind the dish and trusting him to call the game, with the arm strength to throw out aggressive base runners.

McNeill — with the most impressive baseball background on Detroit’s roster — probably wasn’t 300-plus pounds when roving the outfield at Sanderson High School in Raleigh, N.C. However, he still has the short-area athleticism to handle first base.

St. Brown doesn’t have a baseball background, but his movement skills, fearlessness and the ability to vacuum up most anything in his vicinity should translate well to the infield. Plus, with his work ethic, he’ll figure out how to consistently make the throw to first. It’s nothing 202 reps a day couldn’t solve in a week or two.

Gibbs also doesn’t have a baseball background, but give me my best athlete at short.

Fox did play baseball growing up and we know the former high school quarterback has a cannon, making him a great fit for those long throws across the diamond.

And in the outfield, give me a couple guys with baseball backgrounds and good athleticism in the corners and a defensive stalwart with range and anticipation patrolling center.

Goff, the son of former MLB player Jerry Goff, maybe isn’t a power pitcher who will rack up big strikeout totals with a four-seamer sitting in the low 90’s, but he can paint the corners like Greg Maddux, keeping the contact soft and the ball on the ground.

Batting order

1. Jahmyr Gibbs

2. Jared Goff

3. Jack Fox

4. Alim McNeill

5. Jack Campbell

6. Jacob Saylors

7. Hogan Hatten

8. Amon-Ra St. Brown

9. Kerby Joseph

Thoughts: Gibbs has an ideal combination of speed and power to hit at the top of the order. His smaller strike zone should help him get on base, where he can be a problem on the paths.

Goff strikes us as a guy who has a high contact rate and good things happen when you put the ball in play.

Fox will set the table for McNeill, the traditional cleanup hitter with big power. Meanwhile, Campbell is probably going to strike out more than you’d like, but you’re going to love the exit velocity when he catches one on the sweet spot.

Saylors and Hatten will give you solid bat-to-ball skills at the bottom of the order and you’ll take what you can get from St. Brown and Joseph, who are going to be more valued for the runs saved on defense.

And, if need be, we’ll have Jameson Williams ready to come off the bench as a late-inning pinch runner. He can be our Herb Washington, a track star signed by the Athletics in the 70’s, who stole 29 bases one season without ever logging an at bat.