Trea Turner, leadoff hitter? He’s open to the move, which could help with pitch selectivity.

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Before Trea Turner even arrived at Phillies camp this spring, his spot in the batting order was already a hot topic of conversation.

With manager Rob Thomson’s stated interest in changing the Phillies’ lineup this season, Turner seems like a logical choice to supplant Kyle Schwarber as leadoff man. And Turner, who has rejoined the team after missing the first two full-squad workouts for the birth of his daughter, is excited about that idea.

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“I like it,” he said Wednesday. “I always hit one or two for the most part of my career, and hit a little three, but one or two early on. And I think it would be fun, be a little different. I’ve been in that two-hole for a few years now, but [to] kind of get back to a little bit more speed, and that aspect will be fun.”

That speed and Turner’s affinity for stealing bases would make him a much more traditional leadoff hitter compared to Schwarber’s pure power bat. Plus, he has plenty of experience in the role: Turner has been the leadoff hitter in 487 career games and has hit .302 with a .351 on-base percentage over that span.

But since signing with the Phillies just over two years ago, Thomson hasn’t put him atop the order outside of 15 games in 2023.

Bryce Harper — who Thomson has also considered at leadoff, on the basis of giving him more at-bats — doesn’t like the No. 1 spot in the lineup. He prefers the opportunity to observe the opposing pitcher’s tendencies before he gets to the plate. But Turner thinks hitting leadoff could help him in a different way.

“You take a few more pitches here and there [hitting leadoff],” Turner said. “For me, I think I always looked at it as Bryce is hitting behind me, so I’m ready to hit. ... Obviously, they’re coming after me. They don’t want to face him. So that’s kind of how I’ve always approached the two-hole, just because the three-hole’s another great bat. So I’ve always been ready to hit.

“I think when you’re leading off, I think just that label kind of puts a little bit of perspective on it, the way pitchers approach it.”

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It’s possible that even if Turner moves to the leadoff spot, he will continue to hit before the left-handed Harper, given Thomson’s penchant for alternating lefties and righties in his lineups and the fact that Harper has already stated his willingness to move from the three-hole.

But Turner thinks that mindset of being a leadoff hitter itself could help with selectivity, which has been a pain point for him since he signed with the Phillies.

Turner’s chase rate in his two years in Philadelphia (35.3% in 2023 and 33.9% in 2024) are the two highest marks of his career. And Turner’s 5% walk rate in 2024 was his lowest since his rookie year and ranked in the bottom 10% of MLB hitters.

“It’s a different mindset that you approach [with], as well as that pitcher, when they see the top of the order,” he said.

Thomson said he won’t make any final decisions on a batting order until the end of camp, and that this spring instead will be an opportunity to play with different things. But he does share the view that Turner hitting leadoff may help put him in the mindset of getting on base.

“I think there’s more in there. I do,” Thomson said. “And just some consistency. There were some ups and downs that he hasn’t had in the past. We’ll try and iron those out.”