Trea Turner is still early into his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he already has made quite an impression on teammates, coaches and fans with his exciting style of play.
As the fastest everyday player in baseball with a sprint speed of 30.7 feet per second, Turner has brought an element to the Dodgers lineup that hasn’t been seen since Dee Strange-Gordon, who stole 64 bases in 2014.
“Adding him and the length he creates in our lineup, the foot speed it adds, it’s something we’ve kind of been lacking the last five, six, seven years,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said after acquiring Turner. “To add a dynamic speed player will create even more options for us, which is going to be fun for Doc and the staff.”
Turner’s ability has already caught the eye of Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel, who is reveling in being able to use his speed on the bases, via SportsNetLA:
“This guy is probably one of the fastest guys I’ve ever been around. He’s up there with Mike Trout and Peter Bourjos when I was with the Angels. This guy makes things happen, he’s put a lot of pressure on defense and makes my job fun. I’ve got some time now to see the play develop, and when he’s coming around, send him and try to get a run.”
Ebel is correct that Turner is up there with Mike Trout and Peter Bourjos. However, Turner is faster than both of them were. Trout averaged a spring speed of 29.3 feet per second and Bourjos averaged 29.7 feet per second, both of which are elite numbers, but still behind Turner.
This season, Turner is hitting .323/369/.516 with 19 home runs, 24 stolen bases and 135 wRC+ in 111 games played. In 15 games with the Dodgers, Turner has stolen three bases and also scored 13 runs, including scoring from first on an infield single and a smooth slide that caught the eye of fans across the sport.
Turner excited for new experiences
Turner said he was expecting to spend the rest of his career with the Washington Nationals, just as he did with the San Diego Padres after they drafted him. But upon getting traded, he looked forward to seeing what lies ahead for him in the Dodgers organization.
“Now I’m excited for this next chapter. Change can be good if you embrace it and see opportunity, and I see plenty of that here,” Turner said. “I’m excited. It is what it is, and like I said, I wanted to be there but I’m just as excited to be here as I was there.”
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