Trea Turner on Hitting

Trea Turner is squaring up a lot of baseballs. He’s also flying around the bases. The 23-year-old Washington Nationals rookie has a dozen home runs, seven triples, and 29 stolen bases in just 68 games. His slash line is a sexy .340/.362/.560. In a nutshell, he’s been very, very good.

He’s also thoughtful when the subject turns to hitting. The North Carolina State product likes to keep thing simple, but at same time, he has a nuanced feel for his craft. Launch angle is a familiar term, and he understands that what works for Daniel Murphy isn’t necessarily going to work for him. He isn’t going to tailor his swing for pull-side home runs. Nor is he going to take advantage of his plus-plus wheels by slapping and burning like a young Juan Pierre. Turner is going to be himself, and based on early returns, that’s an All-Star-caliber player.

Turner — currently manning center field after reaching Washington as a second baseman — talked about his hitting philosophy when the Nationals visited Pittsburgh over the weekend.

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Turner on his approach: “For me, it’s really situational. It depends on different things. Am I leading off the inning? Are there are runners in scoring position? Does the pitcher on the mound have good command or bad command? Am I going good or going bad? There are a lot of questions I ask myself. Based on the answers to those questions, I’ll have an approach. You have to play it by ear.

“If I feel good, maybe I’ll be a little more aggressive. If I’m not feeling good, maybe I’ll see a few more pitches. I think you always want to be aggressive, because when you start to get hesitant, you can miss the pitch you want to hit. I’m a big fan of, ‘If it’s the first pitch or last pitch doesn’t matter.’ Whatever one is the right pitch, you need to hit that ball and end that at-bat.

“But sometimes, if you’re out of your comfort zone, or trying to do too much, maybe seeing a couple of pitches can kind of get you back to where you need to be. I’m a big fan of making tiny adjustments, whether it be mental, physical — whatever it is — just to be consistent.

“You want to track the ball. Some people just stand there and don’t use [a 3-0 pitch] as a tool. If you get a fastball right down the middle on 3-0, sometimes you get the same pitch on 3-1. If you’re not prepared for it, you might miss it. You should take every pitch like it’s a real swing, whether you’re swinging or not. Try to get comfortable and get your timing down.”

On fine-tuning his swing: “In college, I had a lot different swing. When I signed, I started to transition to where I am now. But even now, it’s a little different.

“Some of it was controlling my weight. I always had a leg kick, but I haven’t always been able to control it and be consistent with it. And kind of my barrel — it’s more up and down now. In college, it was a little flatter. Those are the two biggest differences.

“Velocity was a big reason [for the changes]. Guys are throwing so hard, and they get really good at throwing multiple pitches in the zone. You have to be ready for each and every one, every time. Being in a consistent spot, with a good bat path, is the only way to hit all those pitches. Whether they throw 100 or 90, you need to be in the same spot.”

On hitting for power: “You always want to hit the ball hard. I don’t necessarily try to hit the ball in the air, but I’m always trying to hit it hard. I’m trying to hit it on a line, and one way or the other, if I miss it up or down, it’s either a hard ground ball or, hopefully, a homer. I try to be in the middle of the ball.

“Hitting the ball on the ground can be a good thing if you do it correctly. Nobody wants to hit a pop up. But if you’re driving the ball in the air, you’re probably going to be one of the better hitters in the game. There’s a fine line between popping up too much and driving the ball in the air.”

On bat paths and launch angles: “Murph [Daniel Murphy] talks about that a lot. If you ever talk hitting with him, he’s really big on launch angle and making sure you square up he ball. But I think if you pay attention, you know if you hit a ball good or not. Sometimes you’re going to get jammed or off the end, but if you have a good bat path, you’re going to have some success. Trying to be in the zone a long time allows you to get that good launch angle, and that good barrel to the ball.

“For Murph, [trying to pull the ball in the air] works so well, because for one, his hand-eye coordination is unbelievably good. And two, he has a really simple swing. It’s get the foot down, see the ball, and square it up.

“For me, whenever I’ve tried to pull the ball in the air, I do it incorrectly. I start to fly open. I create bad habits. So that thought process doesn’t really work for me. There are other guys, like Murph and Brian Dozier, who have simple swings, that it works well for. I have more success hitting the ball in the air when I don’t think that way.”

On thinking middle and finding what works for you: “For the most part, I think up the middle. If you’re middle with everything, you have a good chance to hit the ball all over the field. You have a good chance to hit offspeed pitches, fastballs, or whatever it is they throw at you. It allows you to react a little bit better, whereas if I’m trying to pull everything, I assume everything is a fastball in. When that happens, a slider is going to result in you swinging and missing or making weak contact. I like staying middle, so I can put the barrel on the ball.

“It’s interesting to have conversations about hitting, because you can talk to Murph and he has his way, and you can talk to Harp [Bryce Harper] and he has his way. Then you can talk to JW [Jayson Werth] and he thinks something different. Those guys all think different things, but they’ve all had great career, great success. It just depends on what works for you. That’s why baseball is interesting. And especially hitting. For me to have success, and Murph to have success, can be two completely different things.”

On if what works for a hitter is fluid, or if it’s more of a constant: “There’s a very fine line between the two. At some points… I’ve always tried to listen to people, and you can kind of get going bad. You need to stick to what works for you, but at the same time you need to have an open mind. Somebody could say something, and even if it’s the tiniest thing, it could help you take your game to an even higher level.

“I don’t necessarily talk to pitchers, but I listen to them. I’ve heard a lot of pitchers’ meetings in the clubhouse — how they want to approach hitters — and that gets my mind going. I think you have to think about everything. If you think their side of it, you learn things. It always help to learn.”