Phillies Continue to See Payoff from Massive Investment in Trea Turner

The Philadelphia Phillies shortstop had one of the best seasons of his career as he helped the franchise win the NL East Division.

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) celebrates after hitting a home run against the Miami Marlins during the sixth inning at loanDepot Park. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

When assessing the position players for the Philadelphia Phillies, Trea Turner may be the second-easiest player to evaluate. The easiest would be designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.

But Turner was no less important to the Phillies run to the National League East title and a No. 2 seed in the playoffs. The postseason ended way too soon. But a team needs great players to get them there, and Turner was great in 2025.

The Phillies need Turner to continue to play at this level for the next several years due to their considerable investment in the 32-year-old. He will be in the fourth year of his 11-year deal in 2026, as he’s paid $300 million over that span at an average of $27.2 million per year. That takes Turner to his age 40 season. At this point, he’s a Phillie for life.

Philadelphia Phillies Shortstops in 2024

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Unlike last season, when an injury took him off the field for more than a month, Turner was relatively healthy in 2025. He dealt with a hamstring strain late in the season but did play 139 games at the position. The capable Edmundo Sosa (19 games) and Bryson Stott (13 games) were the only other players to log time in place of Turner.

His season slash was .304/.355/.457 with an .812 OPS. He won his second batting National League batting title. He won the NL batting title in 2021 even though he changed teams at the trade deadline, from the Washington Nationals to the Los Angeles Dodgers. His .328 average that season was the best in the Majors regardless of league.

Turner also hit 15 home runs and 69 RBI. But his value isn’t wrapped up in his slug. It’s his overall game at the plate. He’s a constant problem on the basepaths and had 36 stolen bases, pushing his career total to 315. That was his best season since he led the NL in stolen bases with 43 in 2018. He also scored 94 runs.

Because of his well-rounded game his overall Baseball Savant values are in the 86th percentile or better — batting run value (86), baserunning run value (99) and fielding run value (93). This is despite most of his batting analytics falling into the average area. He’s a highly valuable fielder. His OAA is in the 99th percentile and was plus-17 in 2025. Incredibly, he has never won a Gold Glove and is not a finalist this year, even as his OAA was tied for third-best in the Majors.

Given his prowess on the basepaths, he has the rare honor of being in the 100th percentile in sprint speed, with an average of 30.3 mph.  

Turner is one of the best overall middle infielders in baseball. As he gets older, he’ll have to better manage health to ensure he can impact the game as a runner. But, this season, he matched the value of his long-term deal with his play.