Perhaps the turning point of a Philadelphia Phillies loss to the Cleveland Guardians Sunday came in the top of the fourth inning when David Fry hit a ground ball to shortstop that looked like it would, at worst, be a fielder’s choice for the first out of the inning, maybe a double play.
Instead, the ball tailed on Trea Turner, whose legs seemed to get twisted and all he could do was knock the ball down. It was scored a hit, but almost everything is now. A few years ago, it probably would have been an error on Turner.
“He kind of like drew it, it was kind of like tailing away from me. Usually you get that from lefties, not righties,” Turner said after the game. “So when he first hit it, I thought it was kind of like a step to my back hand, so I thought I was gonna have a back hand. And then it kind of just kept tailing away from me, so I ended up having to dive. [It was] kind of a weird ball and kind like a little bit of a mystery at the same time.”
Instead of having at least one out, Kolby Allard — making his first MLB start of the season — had runners on first and second with no one out. The next batter, Jhonkensy Noel, hit a three-run homer that traveled 436 feet and erased an early 3-0 lead from the Phillies. The Guardians would go on to win the game 4-3, earning a series victory.
Following the loss, Turner was asked if those type of plays cause you to beat yourself up, particularly given what happened immediately after.
“Sure,” Turner admitted. “You always want to make as many plays as you can. You say “What if?” all the time. But that’s the game we play. It’s a hard game and you hold on too long and things can keep happening. That negativity is something that you gotta let go. So, obviously wish I could have made that play, and have that one back. But gotta forget about it.”
When evaluating Turner, you almost have to view him as two separate players.
His offensive prowess could make him a candidate to be National League Player of the Month, as he entered the day with 10 home runs, 22 RBIs and a 1.083 OPS this month. Now 31, Turner may pick his spots more on the bases than he once did — especially after missing six weeks with a left hamstring strain earlier this year — but he’s still got game-changing speed. Just about any way you slice it, Turner has been one of the best offensive players in baseball this year when he’s been healthy.
Defensively, it’s been a different story. Even though he wasn’t charged with an error on Sunday’s misplay, Turner has 12 errors this season. He also has -9 defensive runs saved and -6 outs above average. All this comes despite missing more than a month.
Turner seemed to be crisper defensively earlier in the year than compared to a season ago, when he finished with 23 errors, -12 defensive runs saved and -4 outs above average. Turner was critical of his defensive performance on multiple occasions last year, but was more upbeat in mid-April when asked about his play in the field.
In recent weeks, though, Turner has struggled once again in the field. Since returning from the injured list on June 17, Turner has been charged with eight errors. So how does he evaluate himself as a defender right now?
“I don’t know. I honestly haven’t really looked at the numbers,” Turner said. “I feel like at times I’m trying too hard almost, instead of just playing baseball. To be honest with you lately, I haven’t really looked at it. I know I’ve still made some mistakes here or there, but [I’m] just trying to compete and make as many plays as I can.”
What leads to Turner pressing in the field?
“Just trying to be perfect,” Turner acknowledged. “Just trying to do everything so perfectly. And then, I feel like with our pitching staff I get a lot of opportunities. So, you’re gonna have five, six, seven chances in a game some times. I just think that perfection is kind of holding me back a little bit.”
Turner has never been a Gold Glove candidate, so it’s not as though the Phillies signed him to an 11-year/$300 million deal expecting him to play Jimmy Rollins-level defense. What they expected was a shortstop who plays passable defense and is an elite offensive player for any position.
Since his standing ovation last August, Turner has been one of the best offensive players in baseball. There have been enough defensive miscues, though, that fans would be justified in worrying that one could come during a crucial moment in October. The best the Phillies can hope for during the season is that Turner finds a way not to press in the field and is adequate defensively. Because he’s certainly been a World Series-caliber hitter this year.
Beyond this season, though, it’s fair to wonder what the Phillies infield arrangement will look like. Since joining the Phillies, Turner has 35 errors, -21 defensive runs saved and -10 outs above average. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski pretty quickly shut down the idea of flipping Turner and Bryson Stott defensively in his year-end press conference last October. It may not be as easy to do this year if Turner doesn’t begin to get better results in the field.
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