After his tournament-changing grand slam propelled Team USA past Venezuela in the quarterfinal on Saturday night, Trea Turner said he had still been trying to “find his swing” early in Spring Training and the World Baseball Classic.
Update?
Turner was at it again on Sunday, launching two more big flies in the semifinal against Cuba as part of a 14-run barrage that sent the United States to Tuesday’s championship.
Homer No. 1 on the night was the second in three pitches for the superstar Phillies shortstop. He followed up Saturday’s eighth-inning grand slam with a 1-0 tater in the bottom of the second on Sunday.
Turner sent it to the exact same part of loanDepot Park that he did the night before, only 21 feet further. The 428-foot solo shot doubled Team USA’s lead after Paul Goldschmidt had erased a 1-0 deficit with a two-run long ball in the first:
Homer No. 2 had slightly lower stakes than either of the previous two. It extended the U.S.’s lead from seven to 10 in the sixth. This one traveled 396 feet to left center:
Notably, all three homers — and his fifth-inning single on Sunday — came out of the ninth slot in the lineup. It’s fair to wonder whether manager Mark DeRosa will have him occupy that spot again in the final.
Across a brief Spring Training stint and the World Baseball Classic, Turner has already homered four times this spring, all four of which have come in the tournament. His previous spring career-high was three homers in 24 games in 2017; notably, his four in 2023 have come in just nine games.
All that is to say: If the World Baseball Classic is any indication (admittedly, stakes and adrenaline and are notably higher than in Spring Training, which could factor into the equation), Turner will be in for an impressive power output in his inaugural season as a Phillie. Power isn’t his primary tool, but it’s certainly an underrated aspect of his game: He’s exceeded 20 homers in each of the last two seasons.
That’s all for later, though. Right now, Turner and Team USA are one win away from a WBC championship, and the shortstop’s home run parade suddenly has him positioned as a legitimate contender to earn World Baseball Classic MVP honors.
A championship on Tuesday — whether it comes beating Japan’s Shohei Ohtani or Mexico’s Randy Arozarena, MVPs of their respective pools — would certainly help his case.
As would another homer or two. And at this rate, it’s hard to rule that out.
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