For Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner , the best statistic in baseball is the most basic one. Get more of these than the other team, and you will win every time. 

“I like scoring runs,” Turner said to the MLB Network “Hot Stove” show . “I think I can score runs with the best of them. When I’m on the field and I’m healthy, I can impact the game a bunch of different ways. “ 

Turner has the statistics to back that up. A three-time All-Star , the 31-year-old has batted .296 in a career that enters its 11th season, and since his first full season in 2018, Turner finished with a batting average below. 284 only two times, .271 in 2018 and .266 in 2023. 

Turner’s production has hardly wavered, regardless of where he was placed in the batting order. And as has been the case through Turner’s time with Washington, Los Angeles, and now heading into season three with the Phillies, Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson knows what he is going to get from Turner, no matter where he writes his name. 

“Trea’s going to hit 20 or 25 home runs no matter what, at least,” Thomson said. “And if he can get on base at a .380 clip, whatever, score 100 runs – I mean, that’s production.” 

So the key for the Phillies is figuring out how to maximize that production to generate more runs, which could put Turner into the leadoff spot for the first time since he joined the team . 

“As long as he’s got the mindset of getting on base – and I think he does – being in the leadoff spot could help that a little bit,” Thomson said. 

Trea Turner Enjoys ‘Putting Pressure on the Other Team’ From Leadoff Spot

As far as Turner is concerned, whatever it takes to get more people across home plate. 

“If that’s what they want me to do, I’m happy to do it. I’ve done that early in my career, and I like putting pressure on the other team a little bit,” he said to MLB Network. 

Kyle Schwarber has batted leadoff during most of Turner’s time with the Phillies, but Turner said Schwarber is fine with whatever is best for the team 

“I think we’re all in the same boat. I think we’ve got a lot of different guys who can do a lot of different things, and we just want to win,” Turner said. “So at the end of the day, we’ll do whatever is asked of us. I don’t think it’s necessarily set in stone that I’m leading off the first day yet, but for me, it’s always been fun.” 

Turner said he doesn’t expect to change his approach at the plate much – “take a few more pitches here or there” – just by moving a spot or two up from where he has spent the majority of career. If he learned nothing else by often batting in front of Bryce Harper, Turner said he always goes to the plate ready to hit. 

“At the end of the day, you’re trying to score runs, and that could be all sorts of different ways,” he said. 

Trea Turner Wants to Get His Defense Into ‘Autopilot’ Mode

While history indicates that Turner will provide the offense again this season, Turner said it is his defense that he most wants to improve in 2025. 

“Since I’ve been here, the last couple years, I haven’t been as good as I wanted to be,” he said, “and I think this year is a good opportunity for me to be consistent.” 

And that, Turner said, means a lot of work on the fundamentals so he can get himself into “autopilot” mode. 

“Which is how I want to play defense,” he said. “I want it to look boring … like I’m taking fungos in the game.” 

Whatever it takes to win. 

Dave Benson Dave Benson is a longtime writer with over three decades of experience in a variety of mediums, including 15 years covering high school, collegiate and minor league sports in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Dave is also a licensed English teacher and spent a few years teaching at the middle school level. More about Dave Benson