Trea Turner makes his Phillies debut in the leadoff spot: ‘People should be excited’

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Shortstop Trea Turner stepped up to the plate, in his first at-bat as a Phillie and his first at-bat as the Phillies’ leadoff man on Sunday. The home dugout was packed. Big league players and minor league players lined up shoulder to shoulder on the railing, trying to make space so they could all see the show.

And it didn’t disappoint. In the first inning, Turner lined a single to center field against Minnesota Twins right-hander Joe Ryan. He quickly — and easily — stole second base when Kyle Schwarber struck out swinging, and then scored on a J.T. Realmuto single.

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In the second inning, he hit another line-drive single, this time to left field, to drive in minor league third baseman Jim Haley. As if that weren’t good enough, Turner made a nice backhanded play on a grounder by Gilberto Celestino in the fourth to end the inning in the Phillies’ 10-8 victory. He flied out to deep center in the fifth inning and left the game after going 2-for-3.

It’s hard at times to glean too much from spring training games. But on Sunday, it was also hard not to think about what Turner could mean for this team moving forward. In the words of hitting coach Kevin Long, the lineup is “really deep” and the top of the lineup is “elite.” And it’ll only get more elite when Bryce Harper returns from Tommy John surgery sometime around the All-Star break.

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“People should be excited,” Schwarber said of Turner. “He’s an exciting player. That’s what he’s going to bring — great contact skills, great baserunning, and great defense. So, I think people should be excited.”

Schwarber spent most of his 2022 season hitting leadoff, which is where he had told his manager he prefers to hit. But he said he felt comfortable hitting behind Turner on Sunday afternoon. It reminded him of their time with the Washington Nationals, when they would hit in the No. 5 and No. 6 holes. For the 2023 Phillies, Turner and Schwarber hitting No. 1 and No. 2 might mean that some of Schwarber’s solo home runs turn into two-run home runs — which he certainly won’t take issue with.

“It’s fun for me,” Schwarber said. “We like give to each other crap, left and right.”

It’s fun for Turner, too. This whole transition, in fact, has felt more fun and more natural than it might have been with another team. When Turner signed an 11-year, $300 million contract with the Phillies in December, he signed with an organization that featured plenty of familiar faces: his former hitting coach Kevin Long, former Nationals teammates in Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and even Howie Kendrick, who now works in the Phillies’ front office. Playing in the National League East, he used to talk to J.T. Realmuto in the box, and Rhys Hoskins at first base.

“It just kind of feels like you know people,” said Turner, who went from Washington to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2021 trade deadline. “You don’t have to start all over.”

Instead, he’s picking up where he left off, in the hopes that it will lead to something big down the line.

“I think we’re going to be dangerous when we get everybody going,” Turner said.

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