Manager Davey Martinez began the season hitting Turner in the 6 spot, but the injuries quickly started to pile up for the Nationals. Turner was pushed to the front of the lineup and has hit either 1st or 2nd in most games since. Whether he’s batting 1st, 2nd or 6th, his inability to effectively produce with his first plate appearance of each game has remained. Below is a table featuring all of the results from Trea Turner’s first plate appearance of each game.

Trea Turner’s first plate appearance results

Out of these 50 plate appearances, Turner has reached base in just 5 out of 45 at-bats with 5 walks for a .222 OBP. This gives Turner a .124 point differential between his season long OBP (.346) and the initial plate appearances of each game. Turner is able to maintain his respectable season long OBP with his ridiculous .448 OBP in all other at-bats.

One key line in the table above sticks out. In the plate appearances to begin his day at the plate, Turner has one single. One single. This is compared to the 37 singles in his 187 opportunities past the first. Early game Turner has struggled to turn contact into singles early games. Singles aren’t as exciting as extra-base hits, but power is just part of Turner’s game. It’s just as important for him to reach first and use his legs to make plays on the bases.

Trea Turner’s rest of game plate appearance results

Another difference is the noticeable improvement in Turner’s control of the strike zone. Turner’s BB/K rate (0.36) in his first plate appearance of each game is mostly in line with his career averages. His BB/K rate spikes to 0.81 in the remainder of his plate appearances. Sustaining those numbers would place him among the top 20 qualified hitters in the category just behind Anthony Rizzo, Bryce Harper and Freddie Freeman. All players known for their ability to maximize walks and minimize strikeouts. Turner has certainly struggled early in games and excelled later so far this season. Let’s explore some of the differences in his batted ball data from baseballsavant.com to see what might be causing such a large gap.