The big trade that all Washington Nationals fans were excited about last year involved shortstop Trea Turner. Turner was sent to the Nats last December along with Joe Ross in the three-team deal with the Padres and Rays that involved Wil Myers and Steven Souza Jr. While Turner only got to play in 27 Major League games a season ago, he was able to rise up the Nats’ farm system quickly when you consider he wasn’t allowed to join the organization until June.
Before joining the Nationals, Turner hit .322 for the Padres’ double-A affiliate in San Antonio with five home runs, 35 RBI’s, 11 stolen bases in 15 attempts, and a .385 on-base percentage in 58 games. Then, on June 16, Turner arrived at double-A Harrisburg. He only played in ten games for the Senators, but the 22-year-old hit .359. had a .513 slugging percentage, and drove in four runs. Even in those ten games, Turner did have a pair of three-hit games (June 17 and June 19).
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Turner arrived in Syracuse on June 26. Despite a slow start, the shortstop had a slash line of .314/.353/.431 with three home runs, 15 RBI’s, and 14 stolen bases (16 attempts) in 48 games. During All-Star weekend, he participated in the Futures’ Game along with Lucas Giolito and went 2-for-2 with a double, triple, and two RBI’s for team USA.
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Then, on August 21, Turner got the call-up to join the Washington Nationals. While he didn’t get much playing time (.225/.295/.325, one home run, one RBI), he did shows a little glimpse of the future with his solid defense and his great speed. However, the game I will remember the most from Turner in 2015 involved his power.
Back on September 29, the Nats were in Atlanta to take on the Braves. Even though they were out of playoff contention, Turner stole the show with a leadoff solo home run in the top of the sixth inning against Matt Wisler. The Nationals did lose the game 2-1, but Turner was the only Nats player to have more than one hit in the game. In fact, he had two of the Nats’ seven hits that night.
With Ian Desmond likely turning down the qualifying offer and probably leaving the Nats via free agency tis winter, Turner is the early favorite as of now to be the shortstop when the Nats begin the 2016 season in Atlanta. While the Nationals could always go with Danny Espinosa, Yunel Escobar, or another free agent, Turner was able to show why Mike Rizzo traded for him.