Milwaukee Brewers standout Brice Turang has never been an all-star, but he still may have elevated to the best second baseman in the majors this year, continuing his upward trend that began with a lunge forward in 2025.
The 26-year-old, in his fourth season, reached base another three times Thursday, May 14 and doubled, the latest in a string of successful games. He already has six home runs – on pace to surpass the career-best 18 he had last year. His .422 on-base percentage is best in the league among qualified hitters, and his .933 OPS and 163 OPS-plus make him a deeply valuable hitter. He has 10 doubles, a triple, 27 RBIs and eight stolen bases this year.
With a 2.2 WAR according to Baseball Reference and a 2.0 WAR by FanGraphs, he’s unquestionably the best player on the Brewers in terms of value.
Throw in elite defense, and it’s easy to see why Turang has a case as the league’s premier second baseman. But there are other quality candidates for the perch. Let’s explore:
The metrics still don’t love Brice Turang’s defense
There is one strange element to note; as good as his defense appears to be, metrics haven’t latched onto him as one of the best in baseball.
Your eyes likely tell you that Turang is as reliable as they come at second base, with a penchant for making flash plays, too. Defensive metrics, which account for things like range, arm strength and execution, may not have a full grasp of the anticipation that Turang brings to the field, but it’s at least worth mentioning that saying “Turang is an elite defender” is controversial, according to the metrics we have.
In terms of “defensive runs saved,” as calculated by The Fielding Bible, he’s tied for 13th among second baseman with one defensive run saved, well behind Seattle’s Cole Young (10) and St. Louis rookie JJ Wetherholt (6).
Statcast and its “outs above average” metric likes Turang even less, giving him a simple score of zero, tied with several others for 21st among second basemen. Luis Arraez has nine for San Francisco, while Wetherholt and Chicago’s Nico Hoerner have seven.
Defensive metrics remain a work in progress. In 2024, Turang won a Gold Glove despite a fielding value of 6 (13th among second basemen), though Fielding Bible loved Turang that year, with DRS of 22 to lead his position group. Last year, Turang was regarded as the eighth-best second baseman in terms of DRS (7) and given a 1 value by OAA (while Hoerner had a position-best 17).
What about as an offensive player?
First, the raw stats:
At 2.0, Turang is tied for the best WAR of any second baseman, according to Fangraphs, knotted with Miami’s Xavier Edwards, though Wetherholt (1.9) and Pittsburgh’s Brandon Lowe (1.8) aren’t far behind. That number considers offense and defense; Turang is actually given a neutral zero value for defense and has the best offensive numbers.
Among second baseman, Turang is first in on-base percentage (.422) and OPS (.933), tied for first in runs (33), tied for second in RBIs (27), third in batting average (.298), second in slugging (.511), tied for fourth in homers (6) and tied for fourth in stolen bases (8). He’s tops in wRC+ (weighted runs created) at 166, which is a stat that includes park factors and weighs offensive production, where 100 is average.
Statcast also views Turang as the best second baseman in baseball in terms of exit velocity (91.9), with Colorado’s Edouard Julien (91.4), Texas’ Ezequiel Duran (91.4) and Arizona’s Ketel Marte (91.2) next on the list, followed by Wetherholt (89.9). Turang is second to Julien in hard-hit percentage (the percent of at-bats that end in hard contact).
Who are the other contenders for top 2B in baseball?
So, is Brice Turang the best second baseman in baseball?
You can definitely make the argument, though it’s not a runaway at this point.
The strangest data point: Defensive metrics regard him as only an average glove. As a hitter, he’s at the top or close to it, and if you choose to ignore the defensive metrics and simply go with the eye test, he’s as good as it gets.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Is Brewers’ Brice Turang the best second baseman in baseball?
Reporting by JR Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
