Baseball America No. 2 Nats prospect: Trea Turner

Many times the player to be named is just that - and few remember who that player was. But the Nationals pulled off a deal this offseason involving a PTBN that indeed hasn't been named yet, but is very likely to be a top prospect from the Padres organization. In the three-team trade that sent left-hander Travis Ott and outfielder Steven Souza Jr. to the Rays, first-round pitcher Joe Ross and a player to be named were sent to the Nationals. In June, it is expected that player will be 21-year-old shortstop Trea Turner, and he will finally join the Nationals organization. He is such a good prospect that in Baseball America's reworked Nationals top 10 list, he vaults all the way to No. 2 overall. No. 2: shortstop Trea Turner Baseball America editor-in-chief John Manuel, who is based in North Carolina, got a first-hand look at the former N.C. State infielder and liked what he witnessed. "I'll just say I was lucky to get to know him during his three seasons at N.C. State, watching him in person a lot, and I really respect him as a player and person," Manuel said via email. "He's a baseball rat who also happens to be a 70 runner on the 20-80 scouting scale and a very good athlete with more wiry strength than he gets credit for." Turner hit .323 with 16 doubles, two triples, five homers, 23 stolen bases and 25 RBIs in 69 games between two teams last season. The biggest questions will be whether he can sustain the bat and whether he has the arm strength from shortstop to translate at the big league level. "The questions with Trea are how much impact potential is there with the bat, and can he be an MLB-caliber shortstop defensively?" Manuel said. "As for his bat, the questions are the inconsistency and length to his swing. He tends to wrap the bat when he starts and over-stride at other times, which is when his swing gets too big. As for defense, he's got range and body control. The question seems to be the arm strength for short. Scouts I've talked to have been very mixed on both questions." If a few scouts may have some doubt, Manuel certainly does not and likes this pickup for the Nationals. "I'm a believer," Manuel concluded. It is another smart move by general manager Mike Rizzo to build depth in the infield at the minor league level with all the great pitching the Nationals have added. Rizzo and recently hired vice president and assistant general manager Bob Miller, formerly with the Reds, engineered the deal that got San Diego to send Turner to the Nationals when he is eligible to be traded in June. Then Nationals fans will get their first opportunity to see Turner man the infield (most likely) in Woodbridge, Va., and can watch him grow.