During Tuesday night’s Phillies-Cubs matchup, I thought about what could potentially happen if the Phillies were to move Trea Turner to second base and bring Bryson Stott back to shortstop.
What started out as a humble tweet by yours truly has turned into an intriguing idea.
This is not a move that will actually occur, as the Phillies paid Trea Turner 300 million dollars this off-season to play shortstop.
Trea Turner – Checking the Numbers
During the 1st inning of the Phillies-Cubs game, Turner misplayed a ball at shortstop. This would count as his 8th error of the season.
Turner had 16 errors last season for the Dodgers and is on pace for roughly the same amount this season. After years of watching some solid defenders such as Jimmy Rollins and Freddy Galvis man the position, it is hard to watch some of these unmade plays.
Bryson Stott only committed 7 errors for the season at short in 83 games during the 2022 season. Turner has passed that mark in fewer games and is going to allow more as the year goes on.
Trea has accumulated a -2 for DRS (Defensive Runs Saved) this season. Last season, Bryson Stott accumulated a -5 ranking, so in theory, there has been an upgrade in that respect.
Another defensive statistic that the Phillies have regressed in has been double plays. The Phillies rank dead last in Major League Baseball in double plays turned at .55 per game.
While Turner doesn’t necessarily influence every potential double play, he is involved in the majority of throws. For reference, the Phillies were 18th last season, with .77 double plays a game.
Turning it Around
The fact of the matter is that Trea Turner is the Phillies’ shortstop and will be for a long time. While it can be fun to think of what the Phillies’ defense could be like, I highly doubt a move is made.
The best course of action to improve the defense is to simply play better baseball, which I feel like Trea Turner is capable of doing.
He has never been known as a gold glove field, but I believe that Trea Turner can improve with the glove at short.
Using his elite speed to cover more ground, I feel like better approaches to the ball and a little confidence would go a long way for the 29-year-old veteran.
When it matters most, I expect that the Phillies can trust Trea Turner to make the play.
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
