The Phillies want Trea Turner to be himself in 2025. And that means creating ‘havoc’ on the bases.

For all the attention on his approach at the plate, nothing will matter more than getting him back to changing games with his electric athleticism.

Trea Turner is going into Year 3 of an 11-year, $300 million contract with the Phillies.Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

by Scott Lauber

Published Feb. 19, 2025, 4:56 p.m. ET

CLEARWATER, Fla. — If we were being reasonable, we couldn’t fault Trea Turner last season for not attempting a stolen base until his 15th game back from a strained left hamstring.

It was only natural — wise, too — for him to be cautious.

Now, though, it was the middle of September, three months since Turner returned to the Phillies’ lineup, and he had swiped only five bases in as many tries over a 75-game span.

“I would like to steal more than I have been,” he said then, before a Sept. 10 game at Citizens Bank Park. “I get the red light quite a bit.”

Maybe. Turner, who finished with 19 steals in 23 attempts after going 30-for-30 in 2023, usually bats in front of Bryce Harper, and the last thing the Phillies ever want to do is take the bat out of No. 3’s hands. Vacating first base can be an open invitation for the opposing manager to walk Harper intentionally.

But the Phillies also ponied up $300 million to sign Turner to an 11-year contract in the 2022-23 offseason because he’s among the most dynamic athletes in the sport. And somehow he created only three runs on the bases last season, based on a Statcast metric that combines steals with extra bases taken.

For all the breathless attention, then, on Turner’s approach at the plate — “He swings at too many pitches out of the strike zone!” … “He pulls too many balls instead of using the field!” … “He’s vulnerable to sliders!” — nothing will matter more than getting him back to changing games with his electric athleticism.

Rob Thomson said as much last October, when he noted that the Phillies “need to get Trea on base, and we need to steal bases and create that havoc.” The manager reiterated it Wednesday when Turner arrived in camp a couple of days late after the birth of his daughter.

“I think Trea’s going to hit 20 or 25 home runs, no matter what — at least,” Thomson said. ”If he can get on base at a .380 clip, whatever, score 100 runs, I mean, that’s production.”

Turner’s on-base percentage in two seasons with the Phillies: .328. He scored 88 runs last year, his lowest full-season total since 2017. Maybe it will help if Thomson makes Turner the leadoff hitter. It’s more than a passing thought.

The Phillies are 219-161 with Kyle Schwarber atop the order since 2022, a .576 winning percentage that translates to 93 victories over a full season. But if putting Turner in the leadoff spot rather than batting him second unlocks his on-base skills, it would make the top of the order more dynamic.

Turner is on board with the idea.

“I’ve been in that two-hole for a few years now,” he said after going through infield drills at shortstop and hitting in the indoor cage. “But [to] kind of get back to a little bit more speed and that aspect would be fun.”

Turner injured his hamstring last May 3 while scoring from second base on a passed ball. He missed 39 games, and although he passed every test administered by the medical and training staffs before getting back in the lineup, he didn’t push down on the gas pedal right away.

“It took me a while to get the confidence back with the hamstring,” Turner said. “When you go through an injury, I don’t think there’s ever a good time to come back. You’ve got to kind of rip the Band-Aid off at some point. But as far as games, I would say a majority of the time it was not even a thought.”

Besides, it wasn’t like Turner was a daredevil base-stealer in 2023 either. There were times then when he said he could have run more often but chose not to because it might not be the most prudent play, even though he didn’t once get thrown out. He reiterated that stance Wednesday.

“Yeah, I could run a lot more. I’ve said that a lot in my career in general,” said Turner, who topped 40 steals twice but not since 2018. “I could have run a lot more throughout my entire career. But it’s more about scoring runs. I don’t really care about stolen bases. It’s more about scoring runs.

“I think at times in the last few years, even when I played in Washington and L.A., there were times where I could steal a base, but I’ve got to stay there to let those guys hit. That’s part of the game. I’m not going to act like I could steal 70-80 bases or anything like that, but there’s a handful of times where the opportunity’s there for a stolen base specifically, but it’s not always the right play, I guess.”

That’s how it is in the analytics era. With so much emphasis on gaining the tiniest advantages at the margins, players have grown up believing that the stolen base is a low-percentage play. It’s a mentality that’s difficult to shake.

But even if Turner won’t optimize his speed to steal as often as possible, he should be changing games as a tone-setting disrupter on the bases. Too often with the Phillies, it has felt like he has tried to flex his power instead.

“We’re not looking for Trea to have to hit the ball out of the ballpark on a consistent basis,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “We’re just not. He can, as you can see. He’s got tremendous power. But the value of him, we’re much more comfortable if he’s more of a line-drive doubles hitter that hits the ball out of the ballpark some.”

Said Thomson: “Coming to a new city, sometimes it affects guys — big contract, trying to impress his teammates, a new fan base, the organization. Just got to be yourself.”

In Turner’s case, that means being a world-class athlete.