Prior to Game 2 of the 2023 NLCS at Citizens Bank Park against the Arizona Diamondbacks, a national reporter asked Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner about his work in the field, beginning his question by referring to the shortstop as “such an accomplished defensive player.”
Turner, very self-aware, went on to give a lengthy answer about his process and work with infield coach Bobby Dickerson, but only after acknowledging the elephant in the room.
“Well, this year not so much,” Turner said bluntly after what was, by just about any metric, the worst defensive regular season of his career.
In the first season of an 11-year/$300 million deal, Turner finished with -12 defensive runs saved, the fifth-worst mark of any qualified defender in the sport. In terms of more traditional metrics, Turner’s .960 fielding percentage was also the fifth-worst in baseball. He led all defenders with 23 errors. Outside of a game-saving play against the Atlanta Braves in NLDS Game 1, it was a disastrous season in the field for Turner.
Turner has never been a Gold Glove-caliber defender, so the Phillies didn’t sign him expecting a Jimmy Rollins-level output in the field. But in the two years prior to joining the Phillies — which he split with the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers — Turner posted zero defensive runs saved. He posted zero outs above average as well between 2021 and 2022, as opposed to -4 in 2023. In the four full seasons prior to joining the Phillies, Turner averaged 13 errors per year, 10 less than the amount he had in 2023.
