The Mets claimed infielder Justin Turner off waivers from the Orioles on Tuesday. The O’s had designated Turner for assignment on Friday to make room for Scott Moore.
Back in 2006, Mets executive, Wayne Krivsky, drafted Turner when he was the Reds general manager.
Turner, 25, hit .300/.362/.388 in 441 Triple A plate appearances last year. He’s failed to match that production in 95 PAs this year. Turner has mostly played second base this year, but he’s also spent time at third base and shortstop.
Heading into the ’09 season, Baseball America ranked Turner 27th among Orioles prospects after he came over in the Ramon Hernandez deal. Turner is a competitive “baseball rat” who has a shot at becoming a utility player in the bigs.
The Mets could always use another mid-infielder as Castillo and Cora aren’t exactly producing at a high level this season.
