Yesterday the Phillies started their off-season with a big splash by signing Shortstop Trea Turner. And to get some insight into that move, Anthony Gargano talked to Larry Bowa. What did he think about the signing? How will Turner fit into this lineup? Larry Bowa discusses that and more. Here is some of what he had to say.
On His Thoughts on Trea Turner…
“Trea Turner does everything. Dave asked me how I would rank (the shortstops), and I had him first. They are all good, but this guy brings a lot to the table. He can hit home runs, steal bases, plays good defense, is very smart, and has a good arm. This is like icing on the cake getting this guy in our lineup. You take a look at that lineup, and in my opinion, this might be the deepest one in baseball. You can hit him 1st, hit him 2nd, hit him 3rd, or anywhere in the top 3. He generates a lot of confusion when he gets on the base paths. And now with the new rule, this guy is going to steal a lot of bases. He is an exciting player. And he is a Philadelphia-type player. There is no doubt in my mind.”
On Fitting In With Philly…
“He is going to have that uniform dirty. They are going to have to get more suds washing material because his uniform will be dirty after every game. Whether he gets on base or not. He dives for balls. He’s just very aggressive. He is a blue-collar player with tons of ability.”
On What Phillies Do Next…
“There are no easy outs in that lineup. Everybody is capable of contributing. And I’m sure Dave is not done. We lost some pieces on the mound and the bullpen. Knowing Dave, I know he has his nose to the grindstone. And is doing everything he can to get us over the hump. We went really deep, and if we can pick up a couple of pieces here and there, hopefully, we can repeat next year.”
And you can listen to the full conversation with Larry Bowa below…
