Milwaukee Brewers ' manager Pat Murphy says that 24-year-old Brice Turang will be the team's starting second baseman in 2024.
Per Curt Hogg, who covers the Brewers:
From the manager’s office today: Brice Turang is the confirmed opening day second baseman. “I’m expecting this kid to take a quantum leap,” Pat Murphy said.
Turang, who is an excellent defender, played 137 games for the Brewers last season. helping them win the National League Central and advance to the National League wild card round. However, they were swept in that round by the Arizona Diamondbacks, who went on to the World Series.
Turang, the former first-round pick, struggled at the plate in 2023, hitting just .218 with six homers and 34 RBI. He does provide good baserunning ability, as evidenced by his 26 steals. The "quantum leap" that Murphy describes likely refers to a growth offensively.
Milwaukee is a team in transition this season. Though they still figure to be good, they have a new manager in Murphy, who is taking over for the recently-departed Craig Counsell. They also have multiple new members of the pitching staff (Corbin Burnes was traded, as was Adrian Houser, and Brandon Woodruff is hurt), and they've added veterans Rhys Hoskins and Gary Sanchez to the lineup.
The National League Central figures to be a tougher division in 2024 as well, with the Cincinnati Reds set to take a big jump. Furthermore, the St. Louis Cardinals have added multiple pieces to their pitching staff in an effort to improve upon their last-place finish in 2023.
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