Trea Turner‘s first season with the Philadelphia Phillies didn’t quite meet expectations. Some people not only saw him as a legitimate National League MVP candidate heading into 2023, but picked him to win the award. Things didn’t turn out that way, though.
It was a dreadful start to 2023 for Turner. He wasn’t himself at the plate. He chased pitches outside of the strike zone, resulting in a lot of swing-and-miss and subsequent strikeouts. As the first few weeks turned into the first few months of the season, there were no real signs of improvement. Turner’s struggles continued well into the summer.
Through Aug. 3 of last year, Turner was batting .235/.290/.368. The low point of his season came in an extra-innings loss to the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park on Aug. 2. Turner grounded out to end the top of the 11th inning with a runner on second base of an 8-7 game. A half-inning later, he misplayed a ball in the field, allowing the game-tying run to score. Miami eventually won the game via walk-off in the bottom of the 12th.
Speaking with reporters post-game, Turner seemed defeated in the visitor’s clubhouse at LoanDepot Park. He took the blame, single-handedly, for his team’s loss as he stared at the ground while talking.
Turner’s first season in Philadelphia was in shambles. Not even a year removed from signing a $300 million contract, he looked like someone who may not belong in the majors. But two days after he seemingly hit rock bottom, things turned around in a big way.
Turner and the Phillies returned to Citizens Bank Park to play the Kansas City Royals on Aug. 4. Turner walked up to the plate to a standing ovation for his first at-bat. There were more ovations as the night went on. He walked to the dish with cheering fans on their feet again the next night. The crowd in South Philly showed their support for someone who needed it. The whole thing sparked a turnaround.
From that point to the end of the 2023 campaign, Turner slashed .337/.389/.688 with 16 home runs. For some perspective, he entered play on Aug. 4 with 10 home runs. It wasn’t just a turnaround, Turner looked unstoppable in the batter’s box. He performed well in the postseason, too, going 17-for-49 with five doubles and three home runs in 13 games.
The version of Turner that ended the regular season scalding hot at the plate has returned lately.
After a slow start through the first three series of 2024, Turner has gotten going in a big way. He’s currently in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak and 10-game on-base streak. During the hitting streak, he’s had three multi-hit games and is hitting .414/.433/.759. Turner has seven total multi-hit games so far this season and has recorded a hit in 15 of 19 games. Overall, he’s hitting .329/.386/.487 with six doubles and two home runs.
It’s a small sample size, but Turner is chasing less pitches and making more contact so far this year when compared to last. According to Statcast, Turner’s chase rate in 2023 was 35.3%. Through 19 games this year, it’s down to 27%. Turner’s whiff rate — a measurement of how often a batter swings and misses at pitches — was a career-high 29.6% a season ago. That same mark this year is down to 20.7%. Again, it’s only been 19 games this year, but seeing both those numbers go down is a positive sign.
While his offensive performance has been great, when Rob Thomson was asked Wednesday evening about what has stuck out about Turner’s first three weeks of the season, his manager talked more about his defense.
“He’s hot [at the plate] right now,” Thomson said of his shortstop after Wednesday night’s 7-6 win over the Colorado Rockies. “I know that there’s some errors on him, but I think he’s playing much better defense. He’s securing the baseball a lot better this year than he did last year. He’s throwing [more] accurately this year than he did last year.”
Turner’s defense last year was the worst it’s ever been. He committed a career-high 23 errors in 1,342 1/3 innings at shortstop. Advanced metrics weren’t kind to him either. According to FanGraphs, Turner had -12 defensive runs saved last year to go along with -4 outs above average — 0 is the mark of a league-average defender for both statistics.
So far this season, Turner has made three errors in 172 innings up the middle. But all three of those errors came in the first eight games of the season. Over his last 11 games played, Turner hasn’t been charged with an error. He’s currently at -2 defensive runs saved and -1 out above average, per FanGraphs. While he won’t be first in line to win a Gold Glove Award at season’s end, if Turner can limit his defensive miscues this year, it would go a long way in helping the Phillies.
Altogether, Turner is off to a much better start this year than last. He’s swinging a hot bat right now and looks much smoother in the field. It’s still very early, but so far, the returns have been good.
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