Trea Turner Set to Take on Starting Shortstop Role
Trea Turner figures to be the starting shortstop for the Washington Nationals after letting Ian Desmond walk into free agency.
Before making his 2015 MLB debut, Trea Turner was known around the league as the guy who got traded but had to stay put. Last year, the Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres struck a deal that sent Trea Turner to D.C. However, since Trea Turner was selected in the 2014 MLB Amateur Draft, he could not be traded until one year after he signed his rookie contract. This rule has since been revised due to Trea Turner’s awkward situation last season.
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The San Diego Padres selected Trea Turner 13th overall (first round) in the 2014 MLB Draft, and he was ranked as the Padres’ fifth-best prospect heading into 2015. With the move to the Washington Nationals, Trea Turner enters 2016 as the team’s second-best prospect, behind uber-stud Lucas Giolito. Moreover, with the departure of Ian Desmond, Trea Turner figures to be a staple in the Nationals’ lineup this upcoming season.
Trea Turner provides a contact-heavy approach at the plate, and he possesses plus-plus speed. As a freshman at N.C. State, Trea Turner led the NCAA in steals with 57. MLB.com ranks Trea Turner as the 11th-best prospect in their top-100, and with Denard Span gone, Turner might find the bulk of his at-bats in the top third of the Nationals’ lineup.
In 2015, split between three leagues, Trea Turner registered a .322/.370/.458 slash line. Moreover, he provides sneaky power, hitting eight in the minor leagues last season. With 29 stolen bases last year, Trea Turner offers immense upside at the top of the Nationals’ order. In theory, he looks like a Delino DeShields Jr. type player, except with more power (and maybe a little less potent on the base paths).
Outside of Bryce Harper, the Nationals struggled to generate runs; however, they battled injuries throughout the 2015 season. With Trea Turner joining the likes of Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Ben Revere, and Daniel Murphy, the Nationals’ lineup looks better than last season and is a real contender in 2015. However, their window to compete is closing rather quickly.
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Trea Turner offers more power than Ben Revere, so the ideal situation would be to put Revere and Turner in the top two spots in the Nationals’ lineup. That gives the Nationals two base-running threats ahead of the heart of their order, and it gives Bryce Harper a chance to improve on his otherworldly 2015 season. Trea Turner will instantly help the Nationals’ offense; however, he provides an upgrade to the team defensively, too.
Last season, Ian Desmond was among the National League’s worst defensive shortstops, committing 27 errors in 2015. While Trea Turner is not regarded as an outstanding defensive shortstop, he should provide more consistency than Desmond did for the Nationals last year. Trea Turner flashes great quickness and above-average arm strength, so he should be able to stick at shortstop at the top level.
Despite Ian Desmond leaving the Nationals, Trea Turner is still blocked by Stephen Drew at shortstop; however, Drew has been one of the worst offensive shortstops in baseball over the past couple of years. Moreover, Drew’s production is considered to be below replacement level, showing that he deserves to be on the bench more often than not. Despite Drew’s presence, Trea Turner deserves to start out of the gate for the Washington Nationals.
The Washington Nationals used Trea Turner at second base in his short stint with the team last year; however, do not look to much into that decision. Ian Desmond put together a strong second half in 2015, and the Nationals wanted to have both Desmond and Turner’s bat in the lineup. With Desmond gone, Trea Turner is all-but-locked into the starting shortstop role in 2016.
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Many experts have the Mets easily winning the National League East; however, the Nationals are flying under the radar. The Nationals have a nice balance of pitching and hitting, and as a whole, are probably better than the Mets. Trea Turner and company hope to take the Nationals to the promise land in 2016, because their window to do so is closing quickly.