Trea Turner's career beginnings closely mirror fellow Phillies infielder Alec Bohm's first three seasons.
New Phillies shortstop Trea Turner may have yet to suit up in red pinstripes, but his 11-year, $300 million deal makes him one of the roster's most noteworthy players. Turner earned this contract despite never hitting 30 home runs in a season, and only hitting more than 20 home runs twice in eight seasons.
Turner debuted in 2015, however, he only played in 27 games and would not compete for the Rookie of the Year Award until 2016. So, Turner's first three seasons will be counted as the 333 games he played with the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018.
From 2016 to 2018, Turner slashed .342/.370/.567, .284/.338/.451, and .271/.344/.516, respectively. Over Bohm's first three seasons, he slashed .338/.400/.481, .247/.305/.342, and .280/.315/.398. Turner's home run totals were 13, 11 and 19, respectively, while Bohm's season totals were 4, 7, and 13.
Turner is a good roadmap of what Bohm could become. Bohm showed ability to be a great contact hitter, a presence in the batter's box in clutch moments, and occasionally take a pitcher yard. Defensively, Bohm also cleaned up his mistakes as the 2022 season went on.
It appeared that manager Rob Thomson helped Bohm rely on his instincts and high baseball IQ to make plays, instead of trying to constantly be a great player — a mentality that we have seen cripple other high draft picks recently on other Philadelphia sports teams.
Alec Bohm are you serious omg pic.twitter.com/ddiX1baJyB
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 9, 2022
In 2023, expect Bohm to make huge leaps toward what he could become as an everyday player for the rest of his career. Coming off of a World Series appearance, adding Turner to the lineup, and improving the bullpen with the arms of Gregory Soto and Craig Kimbrel, have put a target on the Phillies that they have not had in a long time.
If the Phillies go on a run similar to their 2007-2011 stretch, they will need their third baseman to bring his "A-game" on both offense and defense. If Bohm rises to the challenge, he could be the next Phillies player to earn a lucrative contract.