Howie Kendrick loves the Trea Turner signing: ‘He brings every tool to the table’
Kendrick is now a special assistant to the Phillies' GM. He played alongside Turner and calls him "a pretty complete package, as far as shortstops go.”
SAN DIEGO — In July 2016, Howie Kendrick was playing left field for the Dodgers when a 23-year-old rookie named Trea Turner stepped up to the plate. It was the bottom of the sixth inning and the Nationals held a 4-1 lead over Los Angeles. Turner saw three pitches and ripped the third, a slider right down the middle of the plate, down the left-field line.
Kendrick fielded the ball, expecting Turner to be on first base, maybe halfway to second.
“He was already on third base,” Kendrick said with a laugh. “Playing against him was a headache. He would do things that you didn’t think were possible.”
Luckily for Kendrick, he wouldn’t have to play against Turner for much longer. After a short stint with the Phillies, Kendrick was traded to the Nationals in 2017 and became Turner’s teammate for four seasons in Washington. And as of Monday afternoon, Kendrick, who is now the Phillies’ special assistant to the general manager, is reunited with Turner again.
» READ MORE: What would Carlos Rodon and Trea Turner bring to the Phillies? A former teammate knows.
The Phillies agreed Monday with the 29-year-old star shortstop on an 11-year, $300 million contract that includes a full no-trade clause. He’ll be in Philadelphia for a long time, which, in Kendrick’s mind, can only be a good thing.
“He brings every tool to the table,” Kendrick said. “Nothing against the other guys, because they’re all really good players. But Trea is unique because of the speed, the power, the defense, the average. He’s a pretty complete package, as far as shortstops go.”
Turner is known primarily for his speed — and his smooth slides — but Kendrick says there are other facets of his game that tend to be overlooked. He stands at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds and brings a bit of power. Turner hit 21 home runs with 100 RBIs for the Dodgers in 2022, and 28 homers for the Dodgers and Nationals in 2021. He has a career .302 batting average and a career 122 OPS+.
“It’s funny, with Trea being a smaller guy, they don’t really think of his power, they think of his speed and stolen bases, but he drives the ball,” Kendrick said. “It does get a little overlooked. But at the same time, when you look at his numbers, he’s hitting over .300 and 20 home runs with almost 100 RBIs. When a guy is bringing that type of stuff to a table, there’s no way he can’t change a team.”
Kendrick, who was hired by the Phillies in November 2021, now sees multiple players in the Phillies lineup who have the capacity to change a game.
“I feel like our lineup is full of those guys,” Kendrick said. “With [Kyle] Schwarber, [Bryce] Harper, [Alec] Bohm, [Rhys] Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto, you’re adding guys to your lineup that are top-tier quality. There’s no way that a guy like Turner wouldn’t be a great fit here.
“He can be a leadoff guy. I think for the Dodgers last year he hit leadoff, he hit in the two-hole, he hit in the three-hole. He just changes the dynamics of your team.”