Trea Turner Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

AB	63
AVG	.302
OBP	.371
SLG	.397
HR	1

Full name Trea Vance Turner
Born 06/30/1993 in Boynton Beach, FL
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School North Carolina State
Debut 08/21/2015
Drafted in the 1st round (13th overall) by the San Diego Padres in 2014 (signed for $2,900,000).

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Then-Pirates South Florida area scout Rolando Pino (now with the Red Sox) beat the whole industry on Turner, drafting him in the 21st round in 2011, but he couldn't get Turner signed despite offering him more than $500,000. The Palm Beach County product took Division I baseball by storm in 2012, leading the nation with 55 stolen bases in 59 tries, and Turner has hit 14 home runs the last two seasons, leading N.C. State in homers both years. Hampered by a ankle injury in 2013, he still helped lead the Wolfpack to their first College World Series trip since 1967 along with roommate Carlos Rodon. The ankle injury cost Turner speed last year, but he's back to turning in 70 and 80 times to first base, including 3.45 seconds on a push bunt, and his speed has played more since he moved back to the leadoff spot after hitting third. Turner's swing remains long and sweepy, he struggled with the bat with USA Baseball last summer, and most scouts consider him a bottom-of-the-order candidate as a big league offensive player. His sneaky power gets him in trouble, causing his swing to get big and his approach to be too pull-oriented. His defense at shortstop, however, has improved as he's added strength in the last year. He has plus range, particularly to his left, good hands and a 55 arm sufficient for the play in the hole. If Turner's bat comes around as a pro, he has all-star potential. As it is, he's a tough comparison as a speedy college player who's a true shortstop.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

A two-time All-American at North Carolina State, Turner was the 13th overall pick in the 2014 draft and hit .323 with 23 steals and five home runs in his debut summer. Despite Turner's initial success, the Padres' incoming front office traded him to the Nationals last December as a part of the three-team deal that also imported righthander Joe Ross and sent Steven Souza to the Rays. As a 2014 pick, Turner could not be traded until a year after he signed, and had to officially be included as a player to be named later in the deal. Thus he played the first half of 2015 at the Padres' Double-A San Antonio affiliate before joining the Nationals on June 14. They quickly promoted him to Triple-A Syracuse and called him up in August, 14 months after he began his career. Turner's best tool is his speed, which grades near the top of the scale, but he has also proven himself to be an advanced hitter. He has surprising pop thanks to the bat speed he produces, and he could consistently hit double-digit home runs. He profiles best as a top-of-the-order hitter who does a good job of hitting balls into the gaps and getting on base to take advantage of his speed. His speed has long made him a threat on the bases--he owns both North Carolina State's single-season and all-time stolen base records--and he does a good job of picking his spots to run. Turner is still polishing his defensive game, but he has the quickness and arm strength to be a solid shortstop. Though he also saw some time at second base for Washington, he projects to be an everyday shortstop. With Ian Desmond heading for free agency, Turner could be on deck for 2016.
Turner's decorated college career at North Carolina State validated his decision to turn down a $500,000 bonus offer as the Pirates' 20th-round pick in 2011. He led NCAA Division I with 55 stolen bases in 2012, then helped lead the Wolfpack to the College World Series in 2013, then blasted a career-high eight homers as a junior in 2014, prompting the Padres to select the shortstop with the 13th pick in the draft and sign him for $2.9 million. Turner showed off his feel to hit and running speed during his pro debut in 2014, batting .323/.406/.448 in 279 at-bats and stealing 23 bases in 27 tries, spending most of his time at low Class A Fort Wayne. He also showcased sure-handedness by committing just four errors in 50 games. Not the rangiest shortstop around, Turner has enough lateral quickness and arm strength to grade as at least a solid-average defender. He adjusted his swing each year at N.C. State to become more direct to the ball, but even with the constant tinkering and often long swing, his bat speed and double-plus foot speed enabled him to hit .342 in college and .323 so far as a pro. He has sneaky power to his pull side, but his pro approach will center more on wearing out the gaps and reaching base via hits and walks. If he continues to hit, Turner profiles as a top-of-the-order hitter and dependable shortstop for a contending club. If he doesn't, he could bat eighth and still provide positional value and contribute with his speed. He's ready for high Class A Lake Elsinore in 2015.

Draft Prospects

Then-Pirates South Florida area scout Rolando Pino (now with the Red Sox) beat the whole industry on Turner, drafting him in the 21st round in 2011, but he couldn't get Turner signed despite offering him more than $500,000. The Palm Beach County product took Division I baseball by storm in 2012, leading the nation with 55 stolen bases in 59 tries, and Turner has hit 14 home runs the last two seasons, leading N.C. State in homers both years. Hampered by a ankle injury in 2013, he still helped lead the Wolfpack to their first College World Series trip since 1967 along with roommate Carlos Rodon. The ankle injury cost Turner speed last year, but he's back to turning in 70 and 80 times to first base, including 3.45 seconds on a push bunt, and his speed has played more since he moved back to the leadoff spot after hitting third. Turner's swing remains long and sweepy, he struggled with the bat with USA Baseball last summer, and most scouts consider him a bottom-of-the-order candidate as a big league offensive player. His sneaky power gets him in trouble, causing his swing to get big and his approach to be too pull-oriented. His defense at shortstop, however, has improved as he's added strength in the last year. He has plus range, particularly to his left, good hands and a 55 arm sufficient for the play in the hole. If Turner's bat comes around as a pro, he has all-star potential. As it is, he's a tough comparison as a speedy college player who's a true shortstop.

Minor League Top Prospects

The 13th overall pick in 2014, Turner raced through the minors and made his big league debut last August, about 14 months after being drafted. He returned to Triple-A this season and was electric in the first half before rejoining the Nationals for good in July. League managers voted him the best hitter, fastest runner and most exciting player in Best Tools balloting. Turner has long been known for his speed, which grades near the top of the scale, but he has developed into an excellent all-around hitter. He makes consistent hard contact and makes good use of his speed to get on base. He is an advanced basestealer who ranked fourth in the IL with 25 steals despite his time in the big leagues. His ability to consistently barrel the ball, combined with his wiry strength, gives him sneaky power, and he should consistently produce double-digit home runs. Turner played primarily shortstop at Syracuse, but because the Nationals have Danny Espinosa, he began seeing time in center field before his callup. He also plays second base and is a solid defender at all three positions, though there is rawness to his outfield defense. He has the quickness, hands and arm strength to be an everyday shortstop or he could be a plus defender in center in time.
After arriving in June as the player to be named from a three-team deal last offseason, Turner breezed through Double-A Harrisburg in just 10 games and showed off his offensive and defensive potential with Syracuse. The Nationals called him up in late August, but he has largely served as an observer in the majors. Turner comes to the Nationals with plenty of tools and could develop another if his power develops as he fills out a still-lanky frame. He uses blazing speed as a threat on the basepaths and to beat out infield hits. Turner has good hands at shortstop and solid but not spectacular range. He makes up for average arm strength with fundamentals and must continue to do so to stay at the position. His final two starts with Syracuse came at second base, where some scouts project him to settle.
Turner changed levels, leagues and organizations in 2015--but none of it slowed his bat. He spent the first half in the TL before joining the Nationals organization on June 14 as the player to be named from the three-team offseason trade that sent Wil Myers to the Padres and Steven Souza to the Rays. Turner hit a composite .322/.370/.458 in 116 games for three minor league clubs to earn a callup to Washington on Aug. 21. Among his tools, Turner's speed is the most unquestioned, with most scouts putting double-plus grades on his running. His actions at shortstop are solid, but his arm is fringe-average. Scouts believe he can play short in the majors, but a move to second would not be out of the question. At the plate, Turner has wiry strength, especially in his hands and forearms, and doesn't get overpowered despite his lean frame. He has enough bat speed to turn on balls and now projects to hit for average power with the speed to reach double figures in doubles and triples. "He's a (No. 5 or 6 hitter)," a scout with TL coverage said, "and 10-15 homers is very feasible. He's thin and you think you're going to the knock the bat out of his hand, but he just whistles the bat through the zone."
The No. 13 overall pick in June, Turner didn't spend much time in the NWL after signing for $2.9 million. League managers didn't see his best, as he had a five-game hitless stretch before picking up the pace and earning a quick promotion to low Class A Fort Wayne. Turner performed better there, but he showed enough flashes in the NWL. Turner has encountered doubters about his durability and long-term ability to play shortstop, but he's much more lithe and rangier than Salem-Keizer's Christian Arroyo, for example. NWL observers also expressed had concerns about Turner's arm strength. They had no worries about his plus-plus speed that helped him steal nine bases in just 23 games, however. Turner's swing can get long and sweepy, but he's a baseball rat who has shown aptitude for making adjustments as well as surprising pop in his lean frame. He isn't afraid to take a walk and profiles as a leadoff hitter.
Turner announced his arrival in the MWL by embarking on a seven-game hitting streak. After posting five multi-hit games in one week, his average stood at .491. His numbers returned to a more realistic level in August, but Turner showed a shorter stroke than he had during his college career and looked like an ideal top-of-the-order hitter. "He was the best player I saw in the Midwest League this year," said one pro scout. "He did what you want from a leadoff hitter. He hit from foul line to foul line and is a plus baserunner with plus instincts." Defensively, Turner didn't stand out at shortstop, but his average range and average arm should allow him to stick at the position because of his reliability. He made just three errors in 36 games.