Injuries have slowed down Trea Turner in two of his last three seasons, yet fantasy managers continue to regard him as a first-round talent. SI Fantasy guru Shawn Childs evaluates the player and his draft value.
Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner is a late-first round selection in fantasy drafts and for good reason. He can be an all-around elite player, if not for battling injuries in his young career. For the second time in three seasons, Turner missed a chunk of the year with an injury (broken right index finger).
Despite a career-high strikeout rate (19.9) in 2019, his batting average jumped higher after an increase in his CTBA (.380). His walk rate (7.6) was in line with his career average (7.5), and he fell just short of everyone’s lofty expectations in steals, which could have been related to his finger injury. Turner hit the IL after four games (5-for-14 with four runs, two home runs, four RBI, and four SBs) for six and a half weeks.
His best stretch came after the All-Star Game (.304 with 45 runs, 12 HRs, 36 RBI, and 18 SBs over 309 at-bats). He fared very well against lefties (.316) while leaving much to be desired in home runs (2) and RBI (6) over 117 at-bats. Turner finished 126th in hard-hit rate (41.5) thanks to a ground ball swing (47.2 percent – 48.2 in his career). He improved his HR/FB rate (14.2 – 11.0 in 2018).
Turner placed 13th in SIscore (6.10) with most of his edge coming from steals (5.65). His skill set is a unique piece to a fantasy team as he can contribute positively across the board and hasn’t yet seemed to have reached his full potential. His ADP (9) in the early draft season indicates fantasy owners aren’t too worried about his missed games due to injury.
In 2020, Turner can be the total package and provide the tools to be a .300-plus hitter with a 110/20/65/50 skill-set if he can just stay healthy all year. The lineup behind him isn’t quite what it was due to the departure of Anthony Rendon to the Los Angeles Angels. I view Turner as a piece worth fighting for, especially in auction formats.
READ MORE: 2020 Washington Nationals Fantasy Team Preview