Could this be the Phillies’ regular lineup in 2022?

CLEARWATER, Fla. —The nine names that manager Joe Girardi penciled into his lineup card on the morning of March 31, 2022, might very well be the nine the Phillies use regularly throughout this season.

We might not see those names in that exact order — Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins, Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos, J.T. Realmuto, Didi Gregorius, Jean Segura, Bryson Stott, and Mickey Moniak — but Girardi believes with a lineup this deep, the order doesn’t matter as much, and so far, his hitters are proving him right.

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It was the Phillies’ seven, eight, and nine hitters that first put them on the board Thursday in their 5-3 victory over the Yankees. Starter Jameson Taillon, whose fastball was flashing 94 and 95 mph, got in trouble in the bottom of third when Segura led off with a solo home run. If Taillon thought he would receive a respite by facing a player with no major-league experience in Stott, and a player with only 29 games of big-league experience in Moniak, he was mistaken.

Stott followed up Segura’s home run with a single to right field that came off his bat at 101.3 mph. Not to be surpassed, Moniak ripped a 106.5-mph double to center field to drive Stott home — a hit that ended up clocking in as the second-highest exit velocity of the day. Schwarber walked, Hoskins and Harper struck out, and Castellanos drove Schwarber home with a single to left field. Realmuto grounded out to end the inning.

That the second, third, and fifth hitters struck out or grounded out and the Phillies were still able to put up three runs that inning was not lost on Girardi.

“Here’s the thing about this team that I really believe — and if we’re good, this has to happen — there are going to be productive situations up and down the lineup,” Girardi said. “It’s not going to matter where you hit; you’re going to have a chance to do something in this lineup. And that’s the appeal.

“I was on some teams where the eighth hitter had 100 RBI. When you have a deep lineup, you put up big numbers from any spot. Guys know that when you have a really good lineup, it can happen.”

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The Phillies’ prime power bats started to heat up in the fifth inning. Hoskins lined a single to left field, and Harper drove him in with a two-run homer to right field. But we’ve come to expect that from those guys. Seeing more of the unproven hitters like Stott and Moniak shine will be what elevates this lineup from very good to great.

“It’s big,” said Schwarber of the Phillies’ hitting depth. “We have guys at the bottom of the lineup where, if they’re on different teams, they might not be hitting at those positions. I’ve been on some teams with some pretty deep lineups. I don’t know if those are comparable to this one. I think this one is just as good as the others I’ve been on.”

Given all the skepticism about the Phillies’ defense, we should give credit where credit is due: The infield looked smooth Thursday, particularly on an impressive double play in the top of the third. After a liner from Phillip Evans hit starter Zach Eflin’s glove, shortstop Gregorius made a diving grab to secure the ball and flipped it to Segura at second base, who threw it to Hoskins at first base for the second out.

“It was incredible,” Eflin said. “I felt horrible touching the ball because it was tailor-made, but Didi made a great reaction play. It kind of felt like everything was in slow motion, it was really good to see.”

The Phillies made three moves Thursday morning, optioning catcher Donny Sands, and reassigning RHP Nick Duron and LHP Braeden Ogle to minor-league camp. This means Garrett Stubbs has all but secured the backup catcher job, at least for now.

Girardi said it was mainly Stubbs’ experience that gave him the edge over Sands. Before he was traded to the Phillies in November, Stubbs played in 51 games over three seasons with the Houston Astros. He hasn’t had a postseason at-bat yet, but he was on a few of Houston’s postseason rosters in 2020 and 2021, making trips to the AL wild-card game, the ALDS, the ALCS, and the World Series.

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Girardi also likes Stubbs’ simple swing. For a guy who will back up a workhorse catcher like Realmuto and likely won’t be getting a lot of at-bats, the simpler the better.

“It’s not easy to be a backup catcher,” Girardi said. “Your swing needs to be pretty short, your defense has to come first, and you need to understand that, so it’s not easy.”