College Baseball Daily continues our countdown to the start of the 2014 college baseball season by checking in on the Top 100 Players in the country. We will be adding players day-by-day until we get to number one!
Number 3 on our countdown is NC State junior Trea Turner. The 6’1 infielder from Lake Worth, Florida was selected in the 20th round by the Pirates in the 2011 MLB Draft.
As a freshman, Turner played and started in all 63 games for NC State. He posted a batting average of .336 with 13 doubles and 43 RBI. He also had an on base percentage of .432 and 72 runs, which ranked sixth in the nation. In addition, Turner also led the nation in stolen bases as he went 57-for-61.
His success as a freshman earned him a variety of awards including ACC All-Tournament honors, All-Regional honors, and consensus Freshman All-American honors from NCBWA, Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America. During the summer of 2012, Turner played on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.
His sophomore year saw him continue his strong play by hitting .368 with seven homers and 42 RBI while continuing to be the best stolen baseman in the nation with 30 bases in 36 attempts. He played with the USA Collegiate National Team for the second straight summer.
From a scouting perspective, Turner is a special player. He is not only successful at the plate, but he is outstanding on the base paths. As pointed out by NC State, Turner’s 57 stolen bases ranked higher than over half of the teams in division one baseball. His speed is a tremendous asset that really sets him apart from other prospects. As he begins his sophomore season, Turner is one of the top players to watch for in 2013.
