Oct 6, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) advances to first base in the first inning against the New York Mets during game two of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher
Two years after MLB Network ranked Trea Turner as the best shortstop in baseball right now, he's fallen to No. 10 on their countdown heading into the 2025 season:
Here are the Top 10 shortstops in the Big Leagues, according to The Shredder! @MLBNow | #Top10RightNow pic.twitter.com/MpruEBO4Wo
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 23, 2025
Granted, this list hasn't drawn rave reviews from the internet. Part of that is there are so many excellent shortstops right now that someone is bound to get the short end of the stick. In this case, that appears to be Bobby Witt Jr., who posted a staggering 10.4 WAR last season for the Kansas City Royals and yet comes in at No. 4 on this list. Also, while Mookie Betts probably isn't going to play 162 games at shortstop, if that's his primary position, doesn't he have to be ranked higher than No. 5? After all, this is one of the greatest players in MLB history who is still at the height of his powers.
Let's focus on Turner here, though, for obvious reasons. You can definitely make the case that he could have been ranked as high as No. 6 on this list. But for him to be No. 10 and not really have an argument for the top five after the first two seasons of an 11-year/$300 million deal is disappointing. He was No. 2 in 2022, and No. 1 heading into 2023, so it was no surprise when the Phillies paid him like a superstar. Thus far, they've gotten uneven production from Turner over the first pair of seasons in red pinstripes.
When comparing Turner's offensive numbers over his final two seasons before free agency — which he split between the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers — to what he's done so far with the Phillies, there's a pretty clear dropoff:
Turner 2021-2022 (308 games): .312 batting average, .358 on-base percentage, .500 slugging percentage, 49 home runs, 177 RBIs, 73 doubles, .858 OPS, 241 strikeouts
Turner 2023-2024 (276 games): .279 batting average, .328 on-base percentage, .463 slugging percentage, 47 home runs, 138 RBIs, 60 doubles, .791 OPS, 248 strikeouts
So Turner has actually hit home runs at a higher clip in two seasons with the Phillies than he previously had, but it's come at the expense of him making contact and being a menace on the basepaths the way he was in his best years. Instead, he's striking out at a much higher clip, and has seen his batting average and OPS drop considerably. The Phillies have plenty of pop in a lineup with Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, so they would probably sacrifice some of Turner's home runs for him to get on base more consistently, because he remains one of the fastest baserunners in the league and it puts pressure on opposing pitchers when he's on base.
To be fair, Turner had a six-week absence last year from a left hamstring strain that halted what had been a tremendous start to the season for him, and made him hesitant to sprint as hard as he normally does when he initially returned from the injured list. That shouldn't be a concern this year.
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Not to beat a dead horse, but the biggest issue Turner has had in two seasons with the Phillies has been his defense at shortstop. He was never a Jimmy Rollins-level fielder at the position. But his metrics have fallen off a cliff since joining the Phillies:
Turner 2021-2022 (2,204 1/3 innings): 0 defensive runs saved, 0 outs above average, 27 errors
Turner 2023-2024 (2,361 innings): -26 defensive runs saved, -8 outs above average, 40 errors
On Pattison asked both Turner and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski about whether he would continue to play shortstop moving forward after the conclusion of the 2024 season, and without hesitance both said yes. The Phillies will have to hope the results get better for Turner in his third year with the team, though shortstops don't typically improve defensively when they get into their early-30s.
Still, the biggest thing for Turner in his third year will be improving his offensive output, even if it means sacrificing some power. He hasn't been a bad offensive player in two years with the Phillies, as evidenced by him still appearing on a list like this. At the same time, when you give someone a $300 million contract, you expect them to be a lot closer to No. 1 than No. 10.
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