The Curious Case of Brice Turang

For a first year in the major leagues, Brice Turang’s 2023 campaign was largely forgettable. His 62 OPS+ was last among all qualified Brewers, while his .585 OPS was only behind Tim Anderson for worst among big-league hitters with at least 400 plate appearances. Even a 15-game stint in Triple-A in the middle of the season only briefly jumpstarted his offensive production, as Turang hit .259/.362/.398 from late June through early August but a moribund .200/.255/.208 the rest of the way.

Analytically, Turang fared worse than ever down the stretch. His quality of contact metrics were among the worst in baseball, while his plate discipline metrics were only average. Even Truang’s calling card (plus defense on the middle infield) was only slightly above average by Outs Above Average. What’s even more shocking was Turang’s consistency. No matter the location, time of day, or handedness of the pitcher, Turang was well below the average major-league hitter.

Now, as the 2024 season begins the roll around, it feels like Turang is on the outside looking in. The acquisition of Joey Ortiz, the emergence of Tyler Black, and the potential shift to the infield for Sal Frelick do not bode well for Turang. Even Christian Arroyo, Oliver Dunn, and Andruw Monasterio have an outside shot at being the Brewers' second basemen. The position still might be Turang’s to lose, but as it stands, that’s just barely the case. But Turang is by no means a lost cause. With a few changes, Turang can morph into a league-average hitter--something the Brewers will gladly take with his defense.

Perhaps Turang’s biggest struggle last year was with the fastball. Over 50 percent of the pitches Turang saw last year were fastballs. Yet, Turang produced similar contact numbers on fastballs as he did both offspeed and breaking pitches. His -17 run value and 34.0% hard-hit rate on four-seam fastballs made him easy for opposing pitchers to attack, particularly getting to two strikes on Turang. Strikeouts weren’t a problem for Turang, overall (21 K%), but weak contact was. Across the board, pitchers produced weaker contact when batters had two strikes, and Turang’s vulnerability to fastballs helped pitchers get there.

Another jarring weakness of Turang’s game last year was left-handed pitching. He hit just .188/278/.188 over 73 plate appearances against southpaws. Compare that to his .224/.287/.321 slash line against righties, nothing might stand out at an initial glance. It isn’t uncommon for lefties like Turang to hit poorly against left-handed pitching. But it is weird, considering Turang actually hit better against left-handers in his last full season in the minor leagues. Even on his minor-league stint in 2023, Turang found little success against left-handed pitching, producing just a .472 OPS against that inferior competition. That was a far cry from the .782 OPS he produced in his last full season in the minors. His struggles could simply be attributed to a small sample size, but if Turang can recapture the success against lefties from 2022 in his sophomore campaign, he’ll have found another way to earn playing time.

Turang's Triple-A Platoon Splits in 2022

Brice Turang can run. A 70 scouting grade speed and 95th-percentile sprint speed are proof of that. Turang made good use of his speed last year, swiping 26 bags on 30 attempts and making a handful of dazzling plays on defense. Why not lean into the speed more? Turang's power profile was considered limited even as a prospect. Perhaps a shortened swing, more frequent drag bunting, and a higher early-count swing rate could allow Turang to rely on his legs more than his bat.

Turang uses his speed to generate a run

The biggest problem for Turang will be making the right adjustment. He doesn’t need a mechanical overhaul like Joey Wiemer, but he doesn’t have the fundamental base of someone like Christian Yelich. Spring training is an excellent time to try something new, but Turang is also fighting for a spot on the team. What is certain is that Turang is someone to watch this spring, because he might not be as far from a fuller realization of his potential as it may seem.