PHILADELPHIA— Take a bow, Trea Turner.
The Philadelphia Phillies envisioned a Hall of Fame caliber shortstop when they signed Trea Turner ahead of the 2023 season. Turner of course dealt with some early struggles in his Phillies tenure. Since he has settled in, the veteran has returned to the top of shortstop rankings in Major League Baseball.
Leading the National League with 151 hits this season, Turner is showing the same offensive prowess that earned him his reputation. Put the ball in play and good things typically happen for number seven. He entered Monday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners with 1,499 career hits.
Turner makes history
With the Phillies leading 2-0 in the top of the second, Turner dug in with two men on. The club had already put together four straight hits against Mariners’ starter Logan Gilbert. Turner worked a 3-0 count, before Gilbert battled back. Fouling off a couple pitches, the count became full. Turner then got a pitch he would not miss.
Driving a ball deep into the seats in left, Turner had his 1,500th career base hit. The 3-run jack was his 13th of the season, but his first at home. He had not hit a home run at Citizens Bank Park as of Monday evening.
With the home run, he became the 20th player in modern history to reach 1,500 hits, 300 stolen bases, and 500 extra-base hits before turning 33 years old. He is the third shortstop to accomplish the feat, joining Jimmy Rollins and Jose Reyes. Of the 19 players in baseball history to accomplish this milestone, 10 have reached the Hall of Fame.
Since joining the Phillies in 2023, the club’s shortstop has accumulated the 6th highest fWar (13.2) among all shortstops in baseball. When you factor in how poorly he played in 2023, this mark showcases how good he has been since his early struggles.
This season, he is second among shortstops and first in the National League in FanGraph’s wins above replacement (fWar). Turner’s 5.3 thus far trails Bobby Witt Jr., of the Kansas City Royals with 5.9. He is second in hits (first in the National League), fifth in doubles (tied first in National League), third in runs, and third in stolen bases.
An aspect of his game that Turner is working on has been his defense. He has completely transformed his game this season, ranking third amongst all shortstops in defensive rating per FanGraphs. He ranks fourth in OAA (outs above average) for his position and eighth in all of baseball. There is a case for Turner to finish this season as a finalist for the Gold Glove award.
He has taken a step in the right direction this season. The Phillies are going to rely on him to continue to shine as they march towards October.
