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Justin Turner 2022 Player Outlook: No Signs Of Slowing Down... Yet
3 years agoWe keep expecting Turner's age (he's now 37) to catch up with him, but that surely did not happen in 2021. He played a full season (612 PA), posting a very competitive .278/.361/.471 slash line with 27 homers, 87 runs, and 87 RBI. That is a season that would make for a top-100 hitter easily if he were ten years younger. But, of course, he is not younger and eventually the production will grind to a halt. If that process will begin in 2022 is anybody's guess, but last season shows no evidence that it will be. His contact rate (84%) improved markedly from 2019 and 2020 (80%) and he maintained his elite launch angle profile (21% LD%, 44% FB% – exactly what you want from a slow guy) while notching a new career-high max launch velocity (109.8). The age concern is obvious, but a lot of that is baked into the price tag, which is much too cheap if you were only considering what he's done at the plate over the last few seasons. Turner may come with more risk than reward at this point, but this is not a price that will sink your team and it seems likely to pay off just fine for those who roll the dice once again.
