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Phillies' Trea Turner Expresses Confidence Amid Latest Defensive Blunder

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matthew Sullivan | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies lost the series finale to the Milwaukee Brewers thanks in large part to Trea Turner's defensive mistake. Late in the game, Turner misplayed a ground ball to shortstop, causing the Brewers to tie the game and later take the lead.

After the game, in an article from Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Turner commented on his mistake. He expressed remorse for his blunder, but also shared his confidence in himself going forward.

"The Mistakes have been, it feels like, big moments, which is frustrating," Turner said. "But where I was at the last two years and where I'm at now, I feel a lot better. I'm doing a lot of things right and playing pretty good defense."

Turner also brought up how the Phillies played overall, saying, "We definitely played a little sloppy, and obviously it starts with me." While Turner is also acknowledging he isn't the only player to make defensive mistakes in the field, he is taking the blame for his mistakes.

While Turner has struggled with the Phillies defensively, 45 errors with the team since 2023, he has been a much better fielder as of late.

According to Baseball Savant, Turner has an outs above average (OAA) of two, which is in the 81st percentile. Turner's OAA in 2024 was negative three, with a percentile of 26. In 2023, Turner had a negative six OAA and was in the 10th percentile.

His defense in his first two years with the Phillies was among the worst in the Major Leagues. But he's been much better in 2025. Turner's comments, expressing confidence despite his major defensive blunder, are warranted.

He's been a good fielder in 2025, which makes his defensive mistake all the more frustrating for Turner. His comments after his game-losing error are a good sign.

Back in 2023, Turner was in a rut for nearly the entire season. After the viral standing ovation, he began to turn things around. This year, he's continued to develop defensively, and he's seen significantly more success as the team's shortstop.

Turner's confidence in his defense is backed up by his stats. While 2023 and 2024 were struggles defensively, he's been an above-average fielder in 2025.

Going forward, the hope is that Turner can put that one mistake behind him and continue providing above-average defense for the Phillies for the rest of the 2025 season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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