The Philadelphia Phillies had a successful lineup on their way to another postseason appearance in 2024. Their 4.84 runs per game ranked fifth in baseball and with heavy hitters such as Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper leading the way, the Phillies weren’t a fun team to pitch against on a nightly basis.
But the Phillies' bats went silent when they got to the postseason, scoring two runs or less three times in their National League Divisional Series loss to the New York Mets. Shortstop Trea Turner took a lot of the blame, going 3-for-15 with five strikeouts during the series and Philadelphia suffered with an early start to the offseason.
With Spring Training firing up, Turner’s performance will be scrutinized again in the third year of an 11-year, $300 million contract. But a lineup change could unlock the three-time All-Star next season and help the Phillies be more consistent in 2025.
Moving Trea Turner to the Leadoff Spot Could Unlock His Potential for Phillies
The Athletic’s Matt Gelb sat down with Phillies hitting coach Matt Long ahead of the team’s first full-squad workout in Clearwater, Fla. over the weekend. While there were several topics discussed, Long spent a fair amount of time discussing Turner and the idea of moving him to the leadoff spot heading into next season.
The move would require some juggling as Schwarber hit .248/.366/.485 with 38 home runs and 104 RBI as the Phillies’ leadoff hitter last season. The soon-to-be 32-year-old also has a .226/.345/.495 batter’s line while averaging 43.6 home runs and 86 RBI in the leadoff spot over his three seasons in Philadelphia, but Long feels the move could benefit Turner in the long run.
“It’s risky because we have a really good leadoff hitter,” Long said. “There’s no debating that. We win when Kyle is leading off. But does it flip a switch for Trea? And does it help us become a better ballclub? Let’s see.”
Turner was causing chaos at the top of the lineup before he signed with the Phillies in 2023. In 2,067 career at-bats in the leadoff spot, Turner owns a .302/.351/.485 batter’s line with 69 home runs, 224 RBI. While Schwarber brings more of a powerful bat to the leadoff spot, Turner brings a more traditional speed element with 156 stolen bases in 183 attempts for an 85.2% steal rate.
The numbers didn’t suffer when Turner moved to the No. 2 spot in the lineup as he’s hit .279/.328/.463 with 47 home runs and 138 RBI in his two seasons with the Phillies. But his stolen base opportunities have dropped as his 19 stolen bases were a career-low excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season and having him at the top of the lineup can utilize that speed to create more RBI opportunities for the bottom of the lineup.
“Turning him into a guy who…let’s just score runs,” Long said. “We need you to score runs. Let’s lead the league. Let’s cause havoc on the basepaths. Let’s control the strike zone. Because the more you can control the strike zone, the more you’re going to be on base. We know what happens when you do that. You’re one of the best players in the league.”
Long also mentioned that cutting down Turner’s chase rate – which has jumped over 30 percent in each of the past three seasons – was a priority heading into Spring Training. But it could be a jump to the leadoff spot that could help Turner thrive in 2025.
“He was swinging at everything,” Long said. “His chase rate went through the window. It just unraveled on him a little bit. But again, I know Trea. I know his heartbeat. I know his pulse. And [Phillies manager Rob Thomson] is thinking about leading him off. And that plays right into this.”