Meet the Philadelphia Phillies’ newest shortstop.
It seems like only yesterday that the entire city was cheering on the Phillies during their nail-biting World Series against the Houston Astros. And although they succumbed this time around, it’s newly signed players like Trea Turner (@tvturner, phillies.com) that are giving us promising hopes for another chance at victory this year. Here, we chatted with Turner as the Phillies’ new shortstop on the next season, his biggest goals and what we should know about him.
What are you most excited for with this upcoming season?
Honestly, everything. I think this is one of the most exciting off-season spring trainings that I’ve had in a long time. Just because [I have to] learn everybody again; [have to] get used to the city and the surroundings. … So, I have a lot of learning to do. I’m excited about that and just getting a chance to be back with those teammates and coaches that I’ve had throughout my career—and joining this really good team and organization and trying to get that World Series ring. I know last year we got close, and hopefully this year we’re on top.
What are some of your biggest goals with the Phillies?
For me, I just try to compete every day, whatever it may be—trying to learn my teammates and have a lot of fun. Those are my two things… just compete and have fun. I don’t like setting goals, but I know I’m going to compete every day on an individual basis, and the guys in the clubhouse are obviously going to do that as well on a team basis. I enjoy playing this game. I enjoy being around everybody. I enjoy being in the locker room. I enjoy playing in front of fans. So, my goal is just to compete and win as many games as possible. And I don’t know what that is or what that turns into, but [I] focus one day at a time and have some fun.
What should we know about you?
I’m just a normal guy. I like baseball a lot. It’s why I played this game for a long time, because I like it—not for many other reasons other than that. I enjoy it, so I think [it’s] just the passion I have for the game. I like having fun. I like joking around with my teammates. I’m the guy that says something to lighten the mood when it’s going rough. I feel like I can find the joy in a lot of things. I like playing this game and [I’m] just excited to learn the city more; [I’ve] been here a lot, but obviously I have a lot more exploring to do.
What can Phillies fans expect from you as you begin to integrate yourself into our community?
Just a lot of good memories. Me and my wife enjoy doing a lot of things, whether it’s in the community or with the team. We try to be positive people in any way we can, whether it’s individually, having conversations with people or something we can do in the community. We’re super positive and we always look for the good in everything. That’s something you can expect out of my family and me… just a good attitude. We’re open to so many ideas. We like learning. We like exploring. We like being challenged. We want to grow, and this is a city we’ve picked to grow in for the next 11 years.
What is your favorite part of the sport?
My favorite part of the sport [is] competing. I feel like I talk about that a lot, but competing is fun. You can go four for four one day and that doesn’t mean anything. But the next day, you have to go out there and put it on the line again each and every night. So, it’s a tough game and I enjoy that, how hard it is. And then, winning’s fun. Winning’s a lot of fun, and when you win at a high level, you can just see it from afar. I feel like you can see how much fun teams are having when they win.
Photography by: PHOTO BY MILES KENNEDY/PHILLIES
