Turner displays speed on defense in start, now looking for first base hit in majors

Trea Turner made his first major league start at a new position, second base, and made a couple of impressive plays on defense that showcased his speed, balance and glove work.

Turner is still looking for his first major league base hit. He went 0-4 with three of the four outs on fly balls or a line out to right field.

Turner looked comfortable at second base even though shortstop is his natural position. Turner had played 161 minor league games at shortstop and only two games at second base before Friday night's debut at second with the Nationals.

He used his glove at one point to corral a grounder and spin and fire the ball to first base for the out. The one that showcased his speed was a pop up by Miami shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria that was tailing away from him in foul territory down the first base line near the crowd. First baseman Ryan Zimmerman tracked it as well, but Turner was the only player to get close to it and he gloved the fly ball to end the seventh inning.

Manager Matt Williams liked what he saw from the former Padres first round selection.

"Yeah, good range," Williams said. "The one pop up that he went and got. He's got a lot of speed. He was able to go get that one. I think he handled himself just fine."

But the compliment that was closer to home was from shortstop Ian Desmond, who knows from experience how hard it is to play at one spot and have to move over to another where you haven't had to take many grounders from in live play. Turner had worked several pregame fielding practices at second, but rarely in an actual game.

"Yeah, I know from experience, when you play short your whole life and you go to second and you got to catch that fly ball down the right field line everything spins opposite," Desmond said. "I know that play is a lot harder than he made it look. And he ran a heck of a long way. So that was good.

"The next one was good too. But the play he spun in the hole on the grounder, he looked great. He's got it. Can't wait for him to get his first hit and I want watch him run. He's a fast little whippersnapper."

Turner will likely get several more starts this last 30-plus games to show what he can do at second base and shortstop due to injuries to Yunel Escobar and others. Once he gets his bat going, and he will, he will be able to get into the groove he showed at Double-A and Triple-A all season. It won't be long now.