Washington Nationals: 3 players poised to make the leap in 2018
By Brian Foley
Trea Turner, SS
We’ve seen Turner at his peak. After his call-up in 2016, Turner rejuvenated the Nationals with vicious speed and power at the top of the lineup. In just 73 games that season, he racked up 35 extra-base hits and 33 stolen bases en route to an eye-popping .342/.370/.567 slash line and a second-place finish in the NL Rookie of the Year race.
While no one expected those numbers to become the baseline for Turner in 2017, he looked to be one of the best young players in baseball, especially as he moved back to his natural shortstop position.
Instead, Turner struggled out of the gate and ultimately missed two months with a broken wrist. He finished with a .284/.338/.451 batting line, and then disappeared with a 3-21 postseason performance.
At the plate, Turner’s contact splits were an issue last season. His hard-hit percentage dropped over eight points, and his previously sky-high line drive rate plummeted in favor of more grounders. As is common for second-year players, pitchers adjusted to his tendencies, but Turner failed to find a consistent counter.
There were a few bright spots for Turner in 2017. First of all, his defense was surprisingly solid. Many assumed the bat would carry the glove for Turner, but his 2017 value was actually propped up by his defense. If he can sustain that level of defense, the Nationals will have the left side of the infield on lockdown between Turner and Rendon.
It also appeared as if Turner was piecing together quality at-bats right before he was plunked by a wayward Pedro Strop heater in late June. Turner was 13-35 (.464) with eight stolen bases and nine runs prior to with the wrist injury. That is the type of table-setter the Nationals expected. He had seemingly figured out how opposing pitchers were attacking him, until he was forced onto the disabled list for the rest of the summer. Once he returned to the lineup, he was out of sync and never found his groove.
If Turner brings that type of offense to the top of the lineup in 2018, Washington will have a 25-year-old multi-faceted superstar, and the rest of the National League will have nightmares.