Sunday, July 20

Welcome back to the latest edition of the Phillies Beat newsletter! Paul Casella is filling in for Todd Zolecki on this edition.

Trea Turner is hitting .310 and on pace for the Phillies’ first 200-hit season since Jimmy Rollins in 2007.

Yet Turner isn’t fully satisfied with his performance over the first two months of 2025.

“Good, but not great,” Turner said.

Turner has his reasons for wanting more.

He’s hit only five home runs, putting him on pace for 15 this season -- though three of the five have come in the past four games. His .443 slugging percentage would be his second-lowest in any full season, ahead of only his .416 mark in 2018 with the Nationals.

“I just feel like I haven't fully locked it in,” Turner said before homering twice in three games vs. the A's. “And I'd like, obviously, the power to be up a little bit and the OPS to come up a little bit. Those things are kind of related, though."

On the other hand, Turner is hitting .300 when behind in the count. He’s chasing less (28.7% chase rate, down from 33.9% in 2024 and 35.3% in ’23). His two-strike approach has paid dividends.

When manager Rob Thomson talked to Turner before the season, his message was simple: Hit more, walk more, run more and score more runs. As Thomson figured it, if Turner scored 100 runs, stole 40 bases and reached base at a .380 clip, the Phillies’ offense would thrive.

Well, two months into the season, Turner is on pace for 203 hits, 116 runs and 43 stolen bases. His on-base percentage is .365.

Aside from Rollins, the Phillies’ only other 200-hit seasons in the past 50 years are Chase Utley (2006), Doug Glanville (1999) and Pete Rose (1979). The only Phillie in the Modern Era (since 1900) with 200 hits and 40 steals in a single season was Rollins in that 2007 NL MVP season.

Turner has a legitimate shot to join him.

In other words, this is the exact version of Turner the Phillies were hoping for.

"It really is,” Thomson said. “Like I said to him start of the year -- I said .380 [OBP], I don't think he's quite there right now -- but that was the goal, along with 100 runs and 40 stolen bases or something like that. But I said if he does that, then we're going to score a lot of runs."

While Turner doesn’t come into the season with personal goals of getting 200 hits or scoring 100 runs or swiping 40 bags, he knows that checking those boxes individually will mean he’s helping the team achieve its ultimate goal of winning a World Series.

"Those are cool milestones, but I don't really pick any specific numbers before the season,” Turner said. “One of the ones that I would say would be I always felt like, if I hit .300, the other numbers would take care of themselves. I feel like if you hit .300, you're doing a lot of things right -- you're getting on base, you're probably hitting with two strikes, hitting the ball pretty well.”

Though Turner would like to see his power numbers come around, the Phillies really haven’t needed that particular element with the way Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper are hitting behind him. Schwarber is tied for the MLB lead with 18 home runs. Harper is hitting .383 over his past dozen games, raising his season average 35 points during that span. Turner has already been driven in 11 times by Schwarber and eight by Harper.

"Just knowing I can kind of take my hit and pass it along to them is definitely nice,” Turner said. “I want to be like them, too -- I want to be driving the ball out of the ballpark; I want to be dangerous. But it's nice seeing them do what they do, because they're two great baseball players."

Thomson put it more simply when it comes to Turner.

“If he's getting on base,” Thomson said, “he's scoring.”

Who holds the Phillies’ all-time record for hits in a single season?

A. Jimmy Rollins
B. Chuck Klein
C. Lefty O’Doul
D. Richie Ashburn

Guy Gaudreau will throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to Tuesday's game against the Braves at Citizens Bank Park.

Gaudreau's apperance comes ahead of the inaugural Gaudreau Family 5K Run/Walk & Family Day on Saturday in Sewell, N.J. The event will honor the legacies of John and Matthew Gaudreau, whose lives were tragically lost last summer.

The 13th annual Phantastic Auction raised a remarkable $467,370 to benefit Phillies Charities, Inc. A portion of the proceeds will also benefit ALS United Mid-Atlantic.

The Phillies, along with SportsRadio 94WIP, once again teamed up for the fundraiser that offered fans the chance to bid on memorabilia, as well as various gameday and player experiences. The top bid of $22,020 was to hold a kid’s Wiffle ball party at The Yard with Harper.

As for the next-highest winning bid? For the second straight year, it was to play a round of mini golf with Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh.

Marsh said the amount that’s been donated over the past couple years to play mini golf with the duo has been incredible.

“I would have never, ever guessed it,” Marsh said with a smile. “But Bohmer and I are blessed for that. It’s a really cool thing we get to do. Last year, it was a really cool vibe, so we’re looking forward to it this year. It’s a fun thing we do.”

So, who has the edge on the course?

“Oh man, it’s a coin flip when it’s mini golf,” Marsh said. “We both have our days. We’ll see how we’re feeling going into The Yard that day, and then I’ll have an answer for you.”

C. Lefty O’Doul

O’Doul tallied 254 hits for the 1929 Phillies. Klein came close the following year, racking up 250, but no other player in franchise history has collected even 240 hits in a single season.

To subscribe to Phillies Beat, visit this page and mark "Phillies Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Phillies or that they're checked as your favorite team.

View Online

© 2025 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Please review our Privacy Policy.

You (mlb-newsletters@mlb.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB. 

Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe or log in and manage your email subscriptions.

Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.