Washington Nationals: A Closer Look At Jacob Turner

Washington Nationals utility pitcher Jacob Turner is off to a great start. Let’s take a closer look on how the once-hot prospect got here.

You might ask yourself, who in the world is Washington Nationals pitcher Jacob Turner?

Signed in December as a free agent, Turner gave the Nats a quality start against the Colorado Rockies and four innings of shutdown relief Wednesday over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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With a bullpen performing poorly, Turner turning into the hero is as likely Matt Albers. The head says neither should be successful, but the stat sheet says otherwise.

In Turner’s case, this is a long time coming.

Drafted by the Detroit Tigers ninth overall out of Westminster Christian Academy in 2009, Town and Country, MO’s Turner made the big club in 2011. A starter by trade, he did not pitch well in limited starts for Detroit and shipped to the Miami Marlins in 2012. Anibal Sanchez was the main player headed to the Tigers.

By 2013, Turner was a semi-regular, but struggled with control. He had an ERA of 3.74, but walked 54 in 118 innings while striking out 77. A horrible start in 2014 found him traded again, this time to the Chicago Cubs for two minor leaguers after the trade deadline.

He fared no better with the Cubs and missed most of 2015 with an injury. The Chicago White Sox claimed him off waivers before 2016 and split a bad season between the big club and Triple-A Charlotte.

Granted minor league free agency, the Nats signed him as a depth piece on December 13 last year. Once considered a top 25 prospect by Baseball America, Major League Baseball and Baseball Prospectus, Turner barely made the grade as a minor-league starter.

This year started well for Turner. Three starts in Syracuse found no decisions, but his 2.61 ERA was his best at that level since 2012. When Stephen Strasburg went on paternity leave, there was mild surprise when Turner was promoted over A.J. Cole.

Six innings later, Turner showed his worth. Spot starts are never fun and Denver’s Coors Field is not the ideal place to deliver an audition. Striking out six while scattering six hits and three runs kept him with Washington.

When the Nats demoted Joe Ross to Syracuse to rediscover his game, most thought Turner would take the rotation spot. Fate—a fickle thing—said otherwise. His four-inning relief win Wednesday adds a desperately needed long reliever to a bullpen needing a major confidence boost.

Next: Cole gets rotation shot

He faced 14 batters on 54 pitches, retiring 12 while fanning four. With nothing left to lose, as with Albers, Turner can offer something the Nats truly need. Stability.

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