Its #TreaTime for the Nationals

Since the break, the Nationals’ season has really sputtered into a whirlwind of struggles but, as I’ve been stressing, there is still a TON of time to regain some lost ground. Trea Turner, a top 10 prospect in baseball and the Nationals’ top position player prospect, was called up to the big club yesterday to get some experience during the team’s playoff run.

Turner is not the answer to all of the Nats’ problems. He wasn’t the panacea when Ian Desmond was struggling and the entire team was injured. Turner is, however, one of the top players in the Nationals organization and certainly should be capable of improving the struggling squad.

Turner, of course, came over to the Nats in the same deal that brought Joe Ross to Washington (all for just Steven Souza). The 22 year old former NC State player was forced to play the first 58 games of his season with the Padres due to a stupid rule that has since been changed and, throughout those 58 AA games and his 10 AA games with Washington’s affiliate, he hit 5 homers, swiped 15 bags, and hit .327/.382/.477 and earned himself a promotion to AAA Syracuse. Turner played 48 games for Syracuse and was just as dominant – he his 3 homers, stole 14 bags (caught stealing twice), and batted .314/.353/.431. All in all, Turner’s minor league numbers this year stand at 8 homers, 29 steals, .322/.370/.458 – not too shabby. Turner is still expected to grow into a bit more power and, on the other side of the ball, his defense at short is very sturdy. Turner also recently received a couple starts at 2b so play at the 4 isn’t out of the realm of possibility either.

Turner probably won’t be inserted into the everyday lineup but his presence on the team’s bench both as a mid-game replacement or as a spot starter could help boost the team’s performance. Turner’s speed may be the difference maker between a win and a loss at some point later in the season, he is speedy. Though he was called out, in his first MLB plate appearance, Turner made it to 1st at a 22.188 MPH pace, Reds speedster Billy Hamilton has topped that just 3 times.

Per @statcast, Trea Turner reached 22.188 mph on that near-hit. Billy Hamilton has topped that only 3 times this year going home to 1st.

— Andrew Simon (@AndrewSimonMLB) August 22, 2015

Turner is not the cure-all and should not be pressured into being the fixer but it is possible that his promotion and hard-nosed play could be the sparkplug that the Nationals need to get back on track. The team with Turner is certainly an improvement over the team without Turner. Now lets all enjoy #TreaTime for the final quarter of the season.

*Yes, I am completely ignoring the fact that the Nationals lost 10-3 to the Brewers last night and that they are now 5 games back of the Mets.

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