When the Philadelphia Phillies gave star shortstop Trea Turner $300 million over the offseason, they were thrilled because they were solving a position of need while adding a top-tier player.
When fans saw him perform at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where he hit five homers in six games, they were even happier.
However, the honeymoon appears to be over… for now, at least.
Turner has failed to perform at a level remotely close to what he showed in the Classic.
Trea Turner during the WBC: 5 HR, 11 RBI in 6 games
Trea Turner with the Phillies: 4 HR, 11 RBI in 46 games pic.twitter.com/W2gcSRwiYA
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 23, 2023
In an episode of brutal honesty, the shortstop conceded that he has “sucked” so far in the bigs.
He is not really known for his power, WBC performance notwithstanding, but four homers and 11 RBI in 46 games seems rather disappointing for the standards he established in the Classic and in recent seasons.
Turner is hitting .256/.303/.390 this season, with an 85 wRC+.
Since the league-average wRC+ is 100, Turner has been worse than his peers by 15 percent.
His career wRC+ is 122 and he was at 128 last season, so he has some work to do to reach the level he wants to be at.
The season is very, very long, and there is plenty of time for Turner to return the value we are all used to seeing from him.
It’s clear that life in Philadelphia, so far, hasn’t been easy for him.
When everything clicks, this lineup has the potential to be one of the best units in baseball with Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, Alec Bohm, and Turner, among others.
They are not quite there yet, but fans must be patient with Turner.
The track record is too good and too large to ignore.
NEXT: Trea Turner Finally Snapped A Shocking Drought
