12
2011
Justin Turner Puts It In Overdrive With RISP
An article by 
Justin Turner did it again last night when he drove a clutch double to the center field wall that scored the winning run as the Mets beat the Cubs 5-4 in walk-off style.
This was the second walk-off the season for Turner, who earlier won a game after he was hit by a pitch to force home the game winner for the Mets.
“This one definitely felt better,” Turner said. ”I enjoy being in those situations, definitely.”
With two outs, a man on second and the game tied 4-4 in the ninth, the Cubs intentionally walked Jose Reyes, to face Turner who has excelled this season with runners in scoring position. In fact, manager Terry Collins had no worries seeing Turner up in that situation.
“Of all the guys on the team Turner is probably the most disciplined in those situations,” manager Terry Collins said. “He just wants to put the ball in play and he doesn’t care where it goes.”
Turner, 26, extended his hitting streak to a career high-10 games last night and he’s batting .372 (16-43) during that span. But more important than that, is his propensity to consistently come through in the clutch with runners in scoring position for the Mets.
Turner is now batting .366 with runners in scoring position, the fifth-best mark in the National League. Here are his peripherals with RISP this season:
93 AB – 34 H – 9 2B – 2 HR – 45 RBI – 17 BB – 10 K – .366 BA – .474 OBP – .527 SLG – 1.001 OPS
In comparison, clean-up hitter David Wright is batting .253 with a .772 OPS in 79 at-bats with RISP, while fellow middle of the order hitter Jason Bay, is batting .210 with an .644 OPS in 119 at-bats.
So where does that leave Justin Turner as far as his role on this team next season?
In my mind, there is no doubt he should be given every opportunity to claim the everyday second base job next Spring.
Just those 45 RBI’s in 93 clutch at-bats alone, is more than enough to justify having his bat in the line-up. Nobody else on the Mets can even touch Turner in those situations.
I’d rather have Turner and his .270 average playing at second base over another player with a higher average and on-base percentage, that shrinks in pressure situations. We’ve had our share of those types over the years.
Sometimes, you just have to go beyond the statistical data, and look at a player’s swagger and fearlessness when the game is on the line. Good hitters are not really that difficult to find, but players as clutch as Turner are the special ones and the ones you keep.
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.
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I like Turner a lot, but lets not forget about Daniel Murphy who is infinitely better than Turner at the plate. Murphy should have an everyday spot on that lineup next season. Maybe the time is right to trade Turner this offseason? Or Murphy? I don’t think it works if we keep both and I believe they both have value.
It’s amazing how people STILL want to force feed poor Daniel into a position he simply CANNOT play. Two season ending injuries because the man doesn’t know how to move around the bag. Both injuries were avoidable if he had learned proper technique as a kid.
Murphy should NEVER see 2B again unless he’s rounding it as a runner.
In his defense, they were both dirty slides. I’m still pissed that the ATL guy didn’t get a high hard one by the ear when he next got up to bat.
“they put one of you men in the hospital, you put one of theirs in the morgue.”
NJ stop it. Neither slide was actually dirty. You’re taught to break up the double play by going in hard. Dirty is when you go in and roll block a prone defender. The runner in the first DP was going after Murphy to break up 2. Your job as the 2B turning 2 is to give the runner no idea where you’re going to catch the ball. You try never to arrive @ the bag early as if you’re a 1B. You plan your positioning as you see the throw coming in. If the throw is “true” you have a few ways to proceed. Run thru the bag, straddle it, or step back from the bag. Murph did the unthinkable. He took the throw like a 1B, leaving his leg stiff on the bag in a stretch, then tried to pivot and throw. If you’re behind the bag (you between the bag and 1B, you’re a sitting duck for the runner. He can come straight thru the base and kick you leg out or roll you as he comes thru the bag. If you straddle the bag on that throw, the runner will come thru the bag and thru your legs in all likelihood. If the runner makes contact with you, he will push your legs back and you fall on top of the sliding runner. Still very painful, but Ok if you can take the punishment. Your knees aren’t exposed though. You can actually brace yourself because you see the whole play.
You want to have the time to either step thru the base and take the throw on the pitcher’s side of 2B or take the throw and step back away from 2B on the outfield side. This way the runner is deceived a bit if he’s too close to the bag. You’re free of harm. Murphy doesn’t have that type of talent. He was never taught.
Did you actually see the plays? That guy from ATL slide in like a drunk sailor. It was horrible. Yes, Murphy was out of position, but that slide was borderline assassin. I know Murph isn’t a 2B by trade. I know he’s not in position on at least the ATL play. But for you to say that it was all Murph’s fault is looking through Anti-Murph colored glasses.
Yes and Murphy fielded it like a 1B not a 2B as he had his back leg on the runner side of the bag instead of on the backside like he should have.
Doesn’t really matter the problem with Murphy isn’t that he can’t play a position it’s that we never leave him in ONE position long enough for him to et comfortable in aside from 1B and his natural position 3B which both have high production players to play there when they are not hurt!
And truth be told if Davis comes back and doesn’t hit as well as he was before he got hurt, Murphy will very quickly take his place!
I don’t think we have to worry about that because Ike was on his way to a 30/HR .280 or so season and maybe could have even driven in 90-100 runs.
Ike is gonna hit. And Ike is also a confident SOB in big spots – he has swagger in big spots and I love that about him.
Funny the position i think Murphy is best at is 3B and I also think he played it better than Wright when he’s had the chance
I’m not worried just not going to say Ike isn’t going to struggle after missing a half a year of not playing.
And since he is not having Surgery just rest to repair it stands to reason it is better to have a good bat behind him that can play first just in case.
You think Ike is on a 30HR, .280 season? I hope so but you’re setting the bar pretty high. Let’s see.
30 Hrs isn’t out of the question for him. provided his only protection is not the usual Jason Bay and he has Wright, Duda and maybe Murphy batting around him to keep pitchers honest.
The thing about Ike’s power is it is REAL power. When he hits one out it doesn’t matter how big the park is it goes out!
Unlike Bay and Wright who need short porches.
But it is foolish to assume you will get that from a guy who just missed a half season of at bats due to injury and shows he didn’t lose something because of it.
I have faith Ike will hit 20-25 Hrs on average. 30-35 if he gets some batting help around him.
AND provided every bruise he gets doesn’t cost him more than half a season which is the REAL question you have to ask about Davis now…Is he a very slow healer?
I saw both slides, NJ. The first slide was a take out on a DP. Murphy has no business fielding a throw @ 2B as if he were on 1B. Once again, his injury was a direct result of poor fundamentals. It’s the player’s responsibility to protect himself by playing properly. Part of that is doing what you need to do via fundamentals. Had Murphy known the fundamentals, his knee doesn’t get ripped to pieces in 2010.
The slide this year on the stolen base attempt was a terrible play by Costanza, who almost broke his own leg by sliding late into 2nd. Where in God’s name did you get ‘dirty slide’ on a stolen base attempt? Murphy AGAIN was positioned poorly. Why is your knee down by the base, as if you’re preparing to block the bag on a stolen base? You should be preparing to swipe tag or simply drop tag the runner coming in. No need to drop a knee like he did. His injury was a bad case of bad luck, but poor positioning left him vulnerable and he was severely injured on the play.
The slide in the minors against Syracuse that Murphy got injured on was criminal. Murphy was at the back of the base on the shortstop side and Syracuse’s Leonard Davis, a big guy, acted like a thug. He didn’t slide but rolled into Murphy. He should have been suspended by the league.
Having said this, Murphy has been miscast for a long time by Willie, Jerry, Omar and now Terry and Sandy. Murphy is a great athlete but they move him around like a pin ball. He can make the plays at 2B but his footwork shows he hasn’t played the position all his life like some of the other guys.
Murphy is a much better hitter than any of the other 2B contenders except for one. His name is Reese Havens and I predict that he’ll be the Mets guy at 2B by mid-season next year. Wally Backman says Havens is already a major league hitter.
Sorry, Des, but that was not a dirty slide. If you hide behind the bag, the runner has to go through it to get at you. As a 2B’man, its your responsibility to protect yourself if you’re “hiding” since the runner will be forced to come in hard thru the base. Everyone knows that. There’s nothing criminal or thuggish about the slide. It’s good hard baseball. Had Murphy been in the proper position with the right fundamentals, he DOES NOT get hurt. That’s the bottom line.
The people calling the slide dirty overreacted. I’m sure after watching video, they wouldn’t think the slide was filthy. It was just hard. Yeah he rolled into him hard, but his positioning wasn’t the best.
If you have a predisposition to not like Murphy, you’ll likely call it a clean slide. The runner was out by a lot and his barrel slide wasn’t even necessary. There is something called a 93 foot slide, and the runner made one to get at Murphy. For those who’ve never heard of a 93 foot slide, scouts used to grand prospects on it.
I love Murph. He’s a solid lefty bat who should be playing 3B. I’m sure there are teams eager to trade for him and give him 3B. You can make excuses all you want, but the bottom line is Murph does NOT get injured if he knew how to play the position. I called it a hard slide. That’s a play that happens quite frequently. A roll side isn’t considered dirty. It’s a take out slide.
What does being out have to do with his take out slide? Are you indicating his slide was late because he was trying to beat out the throw? The object of the slide is to break up the double play, Des. Don’t mix things up by trying to find a reason to shove Murphy on 2B. I’m sure you thought Murphy could play 2B by simply playing it in the minors. You’re WRONG, my man. That’s now how it works. Some guys have that gift, but Murph isn’t one of them.
Here’s part of the slide you don’t understand. Des. If you’re “hiding” behind the bag and the runner has to break up the double play, he’s going to have to come thru the bag. This means he has to slide closer to the bag. When that happens, he’s going to hit the bag, and pop up. That’s why you don’t want to hide behind the bag as if you’re a 1B making a pivot unless you’re ready to throw and move out of the way. And here’s the most important part. Murphy should have sensed and/or seen the runner’s distance as he was making the throw. For your safety, you short arm the throw without a windup, in order to give yourself some time to move out of the way if the runner is too close. Murph did the tough guy thing @ 2B, but that is a dangerous position to play tough guy without proper fundamentals turning two.
Those takeout slides you learn to avoid when you’re a kid after getting drilled a few times. You learn your lessons via coaching and experience. I seriously doubt Murph learned any of them, since he wasn’t a middle infielder growing up. I think I can speak for those who have been clobbered @ 2B on a double play.
Sadly, Murph is an example of why you can’t simply move players around the field and put them anywhere. 2B and SS require more skill and talent than any position on the field. Two season ending injuries should be enough. And let’s be real, here. Murph wouldn’t have been @ 2B had it not been for injuries in the game against the Braves. The Mets knew after 2010 it was not a smart idea to try Murphy @ 2B. The fans and their fantasy league baseball mentality still think Murph can play 2B. Sure he can, but he won’t for long.
I know, it is amazing.
Granted Daniel Murphy has turned it around as a hitter and I didn’t think he’d become a solid hitter but what the hell is it gonna take for fans to simply understand he CANNOT play 2B and he WON’T be playing 2B ever again. The want him to get hurt a THIRD time ending his career?
No matter who we like or don’t like if you’re honest with yourself and you really know you have an understanding of the game than you realize that he cannot play 2B and those days should be over.
Yeah, at least in the OF, he won’t have his knee taken out by an opponent. Only people who have played 2B can appreciate the type of handspeed that’s required to turn a DP, or the type of footwork you need to make these plays at the bag. I will say this. I think we have a legendary defensive 2B playing in NY. His finesse around the base and his arm I haven’t seen in decades. In my 30 years watching baseball, only Alomar and Whitaker had the tools Robinson Cano has. Cano’s power arm and quick release are freakish. There’s a defensive 2B to learn from.
I’ve watched baseball as long as you and I have my ‘best’ too. Besides Robinson Canow, they are:
Joe MOrgan
Bobby Doerr
Ryne Sandberg
Rod Carew
Craig Biggio.
Each of these guys was great.
And none of those guys have the release and power arm Cano has. Cano’s range isn’t bad, but it’s not up there with Alomar and Morgan. Pokey Reese had sensational range and a great arm as well. Sandberg was VERY good turning two. He was fearless.
Bobby Grich too, he’s one of the best defensive second baseman there ever was and definitely better than some of the guys listed above.
Bobby Grinch. Nuts to that suggestion.
Did you ever see Doerr and Biggio? Two of the best.
Turner’s situation (as well as Murphy and Tejada) is really going to be decided by what happens with Jose Reyes.
Both Turner and Tejada could play at SS should Reyes go or play 2B should he stay.
The real issue is what to do with Murphy as the OF is the only place left other than 2B which would seem to be detrimental to his health.
Of course thats just an appearance, As is the case with ACLs usually once one goes the second knee is soon to follow. Once both have gone and are fixed the Knee is usually more stable than it ever was only not as flexible showing reduced range of movement. Could be an issue at 2B but not in the OF, 1B or 3B where Murphy has proved good at two but a bit over matched in the OF.
Turner is no doubt a CLUTCH hitter! His detractors are all guys who don’t believe CLUTCH exists based on their sabermetric beliefs but it does exist just isn’t factored into the Sabers.
Xtreeme posted a saaber that DOES support the idea of CLUTCH called OBI (I think thats it I’ll let X confirm that) which does tell some of the clutch picture based on opportunity to drive in those runs.
But in the end there is going to have to be a trade before you can get all those guys (tejada, Turner and Murphy) onto the same field.
And what is more likely is that we will trade one or two of them for something else we DO have a position of need to fill.
My guess is they will keep Murphy, try to play him as an OF and 1B backup until they sort out Wright at the end of next season.
Turner will get 2B next year unless beaten by Tejada or one of the Minors or SS if Reyes goes and he beats out Tejada (who is the better fielder supposedly)
It’s a good problem but a hard choice and I am much more worried about what they do about Murphy than I am with Turner and tejada.
Both have had good seasons but both will have to repeat before you worry about losing them.
Murphy has pretty much hit from the get go so we know he can do that the question is always where to play him.
Answer that question and where to play Murphy or Tejada will be answered soon enough.
Nick Evans is a better defensive 1B than Murphy and is righty so that complements Ike Davis better
But he doesn’t hit as good as Murphy! He’s got some pop but not the Average and he can’t fill in anywhere BUT 1st where Murphy can play some 2B and 3B if needed.
At best you can throw Evans in the OF which is not really a problem for us and he’s not all that much better at than Murphy is when all is said and done.
We also have Duda as a fall back at 1B as well.
So Evans is probably better off being traded for something else.
No,
You’re not gonna need Murphy’s production as much because Ike is a lefty and will already be at 1B and playing 95% of the time. Evans is better defensively at 1B AND in the OF so Murphy should be the one moved and he’ll bring back more than Evans. Evans may hit less than Murph right now but you won’t need him as much either if Ike is healthy and playing everyday.
Duda will be in the OF
Please Bayonne. You’re making this stuff up. Besides why are you so certain Ike will play every day?
what am i making up?
If Ike is healthy he’s gonna play every day?
What am I making up? It’s my opinion that Murphy would bring back more in a trade than Evans and Evans is MUCh better defensively at 1B and the OF so what am i making up?
YOU on the other hand should not be one to talk about “making up stuff” aside from your love affair with a AA player that you have to throw at us every day you are one that should not talk about making things up? Should I list them?
Your story of Jerry Manuel actually flying out to Sacramento to coach a fictitious baseball team
Your story of Pat Gillick calling the shots for the Phillies
And the best one of all – the time you listed a bunch of quotes all criticizing the kid that I CALLED that would play 2B and it came TRUE – Ruben Tejada. You listed a bunch of quotes criticizing him under the guise that these were quotes from professionals but a little digging on my part showed that these were ALL QUOTES YOU MADE in previous blogs – YOU QUOTED YOURSELF! Don’t make me copy and paste the link out here to embarrass you more because I will.
You CONSTANTLY provide your own original-style reporting and you are constantly throwing out here all kinds of your own writer’s embellishment stories about the Wilpons too. So don’t come after me old man because I’ll knock you down faster than one of your many fibs you put out here
Bayonne, you’re nuts. Nothing was ever made up but when a person’s negative disposition and lack of intelligence impact understanding, that person is marginal. You are marginal.
Bayonne, you’re sclerotic in the brain. You are nuts.
When is production NOT needed Bayonne I mean please!
If the game is tied and I need to pinch hit I most certainly want the 300 plus hitter in there not the best fielder!
yeah, in theory you’re right – anybody would want the .300 hitter up there and who knows maybe Murphy will still be here as a bench player.
But for the long haul in making up a team Ike is a lefty and will be playing 95% of the time anyway so we don’t need another lefty to play when Ike is not playing. i’d rather Nick Evans manning the position if Ike is sitting because he’s a MUCH better fielder than Murphy and could be more useful in place of Ike since he’s a righty. If Ike was a righty then I’d say yes, i wouldn’t mind Murphy’s lack of defense once in awhile cuz he’s a lefty but that’s not the case.
I’m not gonna build my team around the idea that i might need a solid left handed pinch hitter in a big spot. If we have that regardless than great it’s the best of both worlds but it makes more sense to have the righty Evans play when Ike needs a rest because his D is much, much better than Murph’s and than can save you games too….and I think as Mets fans we’ve experienced enough dumb and terrible defensive gaffs, it’s time to put a premium on D and Nick fits that bill for me
There are only two types of players you want on the bench…
Great Hitters and Great defensive guys. Evans is really niether, and in betweener!
Sure he CAN Hiot and he CAN field but he isn’t much better with the glove than Murphy and his bat is not as good as Murphy as a pinch hitter and therefore will be less useful as a 1B defensive replacement for Davis than Murphy would be as a Pinch hitter for Tejada or Turner whose place he could take after the the pinch hit at 2B!
And until we come to a decision point on David Wright at the end of the year, Murphy right now is your most credible replacement should we decide to pass on Wright!
In the meantime he serves a more useful purpose as a bench player than either Evans or Turner who could BOTH be packaged for something else we need more.
With the rise of Duda The Mets ain’t gonna be so left-handed heavy. Some of these righties are gonna stay and I personally would prefer Evans because of his defense. Ike is gonna be in there 95% of the time anyway
Why not there are a ton more RH pitchers in the league than LH pitchers…
I put NO STOCK in the rightly lefty crap!
really it’s all bull!
He hit .320 and unless teams are going to carry three LH Pitchers just to deal with us we will have no problems having that many lefties in the lineup!
Turner knows how to win. I loved how he took one for the team to force in the winning run against the A’s. The next day they beaned him the first time up. Old time baseball. I wish Turner a long carear with the Mets.