Friday night was another reminder the Washington Nationals got away with robbery.
Trea Turner, the Nationals’ shortstop prospect, made his Triple-A debut last night. He went 0-for-4, made an error and his team lost, but that isn’t important. You can chalk it up to jitters if you want to. What is important is that Turner is one step closer to becoming the Nationals’ starting shortstop next season, possibly sooner.
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Turner’s performance up to his promotion has been just short of glorious. He’ll be a member of the U.S. team in the All-Star Future’s Game and is a sleeper-candidate for best prospect in baseball after he hit .327 with a .382 on base percentage and .477 slugging percentage in Double-A. He was the “player-to-be-named-later” in the trade that sent Wil Myers to San Diego and Steven Souza to Tampa Bay. There were worries the state of limbo of playing for a team that had already traded him would affect his performance. It clearly didn’t.
Watching Turner succeed has to make Padres General Manager A.J. Preller sick. I don’t mean to say that he shouldn’t have made the trade; Myers has been very productive offensively when he’s actually played, posting a .342 weighted on base average (wOBA) in 159 plate appearances; but rather it has to be gut-wrenching watching Turner hit .322 while still playing in the Padres’ farm system while Padre shortstops Alexi Amarista and Clint Barmes combine for a .270 wOBA. Watching former Padre center fielder and current Atlanta Brave Cameron Maybin put up career numbers while Myers is hurt (again) certainly doesn’t help either.
But that’s the topic for another discussion; we’re here to focus on how the Nationals got away with larceny. Turner, in spite of some need for defensive improvement, is more than capable of playing shortstop in the majors. With Ian Desmond struggling both offensively and defensively, a top of the order threat like Turner growing in Triple-A—in addition to his hitting skills, Turner had a manageable 19 percent strikeout rate in Double-A and stole 15 bases while only being caught four times—makes Desmond’s looming free agency easier to swallow.
(Another example of the bounty the Nationals stole from the Padres: Joe Ross, who came over in the same trade, is 2-1 with a 2.66 ERA and 10.18 K/9 innings pitched in the majors.)
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The Nationals have a couple options on how to handle Turner, and they have the luxury of time on their side to decide which course to take. If the New York Mets linger in the playoff hunt, Turner could provide an offensive spark over Desmond, especially considering second/third baseman Anthony Rendon just went on the 15-day disabled list. If the Mets, who are 3-7 their last 10 games, continue to fade, it would allow the Nationals to sit on Desmond and let Turner develop more in the minors.
Souza has provided a dose of power into the Rays’ lineup with his 14 home runs. It comes at a price, as he has the second highest strikeout rate in the majors to the Houston Astros’ Chris Carter. Throw in solid defensive catcher Rene Rivera, and the Rays did well on this trade. But the haul the Padres got is tough to beat. Turner’s overall potential and Ross’s immediate contribution mean the Nationals won the trade.
All stats from Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs.com