The lowdown on FA SS Trea Turner
Andrew Simon
@AndrewSimonMLBTrea Turner is set to become a free agent for the first time following the conclusion of the World Series, and it should be a lucrative venture for the two-time All-Star shortstop. While the free-agent shortstop class is looking stacked for the second consecutive offseason, Turner certainly has a claim as not only the best of that talented bunch, but perhaps even as the top challenger to Aaron Judge for the title of the No. 1 overall free agent.
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Here’s what you need to know about Turner:
FAST FACTS
Birthdate: June 30, 1993 (Age 30 in 2023)
Primary position: SS
Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 185 pounds
Bats/throws: Right/right
Place of birth: Boynton Beach, Fla.
School(s): Park Vista Community (Fla.) HS; North Carolina State
Drafted: 1st round (13th), 2014, by Padres
MLB debut: Aug. 21, 2015
Qualifying offer: Received one
STAT TO KNOW
A “bolt” is a Statcast term for a baserunning play in which a runner reaches the threshold for elite speed: 30 feet per second. Since Statcast began tracking in 2015, Turner has racked up an astonishing 724 bolts. To put that in context, his closest competitor is César Hernández, with 448. That gap of 276 bolts is the same as the gap between Hernández and 17th-place Kevin Kiermaier. And keep in mind -- Turner didn’t play his first full season until 2018, so he is only 78th in games played during that time.
QUESTION MARK
We know Turner is a dynamic offensive player. But is he an asset defensively at shortstop? Advanced metrics have considered him to be solid with the glove, if not spectacular. Turner, who also has spent time at second base and center field in his career, has only plus-3 Outs Above Average as a shortstop, per Statcast, over the past four seasons. That ranks 22nd of 43 qualifiers at the position. He had zero OAA in 2022 and didn’t have a strong defensive series in the Dodgers’ NLDS loss to the Padres.
He’s an elite speedster
As noted above, Turner can absolutely fly around the bases. And that hasn’t changed a bit as he has approached 30.
Turner’s average sprint speed, percentile rank
- 2015: 30.7 ft/sec (100th percentile)
- 2016: 30.2 ft/sec (100th percentile)
- 2017: 30.4 ft/sec (99th percentile)
- 2018: 30.1 ft/sec (99th percentile)
- 2019: 30.4 ft/sec (100th percentile)
- 2020: 30.1 ft/sec (99th percentile)
- 2021: 30.7 ft/sec (100th percentile)
- 2022: 30.3 ft/sec (99th percentile)
MLB average: 27.0 ft/sec | Elite speed: 30.0+ ft/sec
In other words, he has been one of the game’s five fastest players on an annual basis throughout his career. That translates to results, too. Turner tied for second in the Majors with 34 infield hits in 2022, he’s won two NL stolen base crowns, and he leads the Majors with 228 thefts since 2016.
How important are those wheels to Turner? When his wife, Kristen, gave birth to a son in February 2021, the couple bestowed him with the middle name “Dash,” inspired by the speedy character from the Pixar movie “The Incredibles.”
His smooth slides are legendary
Nobody in baseball slides quite like Turner, who can do it so effortlessly that it almost looks like an optical illusion. Just watch this slide into home on a loop, and you’ll get the idea.
He can even do it in the field, too.
He's not just a speed guy
With his slender frame and aforementioned speed, you might think Turner is a one-dimensional burner. But don’t be fooled. Turner’s swing generates plenty of pop. His hard-hit rates have ranked as above average on an annual basis, going as high as the 77th percentile in 2021. He has logged more than 30 career exit velocities above 110 mph and launched 24 homers projected at 420 feet or longer. Speaking of homers, Turner has 99 of them since 2018, ranking sixth among primary shortstops. Of the 29 shortstops with at least 2,000 plate appearances since 2016, Turner’s .489 slugging percentage puts him behind only Trevor Story (.513) and Corey Seager (.492).
He was once a “player to be named later”
That might seem odd, given both Turner’s prospect pedigree and subsequent big league success, but it’s true. In June 2014, the Padres drafted Turner 13th overall. Just six months later, San Diego executed a three-team trade with Washington and Tampa Bay that involved Wil Myers landing with the Padres. It also included a player to be named later heading from the Padres to the Nats. That player was always intended to be Turner, but at the time, there was a rule precluding teams from trading players until a year after they were drafted. (The rule has since been changed). Turner, therefore, played the first half of the 2015 Minor League season in the Padres’ system despite knowing he was headed to Washington.
His college roommate is another top free agent
Turner and left-hander Carlos Rodón (who can opt out of his contract) are two of this offseason’s top prospective free agents, but they have been tightly connected for years now. They arrived at North Carolina State in the same recruiting class and were put together as roommates. The two became close while playing for the Wolfpack, and both were taken early in the 2014 Draft. Turner and Rodón found themselves on opposite ends of the Dodgers-Giants rivalry in 2022 -- Turner went 2-for-9 with a double and three strikeouts head to head -- but they also briefly reunited as teammates for the NL All-Star squad (although Rodón missed the game due to injury).