NC State Baseball
MLB.com: Former Wolfpacker Trea Turner vs. Francisco Lindor, who is the better SS?
MLB.com is ramping up for the 2021 season and they’ve decided to weigh in on who they think the top SS is in the national league.We thought Wolfpack fans may be interested in this debate since it’s one of our own who is being debated for the top spot.
The debate comes down to former NC State star Trea Turner (now with the Washington Nationals) and Francisco Lindor (who was recently traded to the NY Mets).
Turner, in my opinion, has been one of the more underrated stars in major league baseball and I don’t hear Wolfpack fans talking about him very often. Just look at these career stats from last year.
It wasn’t just a good 2020. Turner has hit 19 HRs in both 2018 and 2019 (38). Over those two seasons, he has stolen 78 bases, he has walked 112 times. He had 130 RBIs and 199 runs scored over that span.His career average is .296.
Now let’s look at Lindor.
The guy is a career average is pretty good at .285, but not as good as Turner’s. He stole 47 total bases in 2018 & 2019. That is over 30 less than Truner over the same two years. He has walked 130 times over those two seasons, which is slightly ahead of Trea and he hit 70 HRs. He drove in 166 runs (RBIs) and scored 230 runs.
Some argue that the most important metric is WAR (wins above replacement) and over 2019-20 Turner leads Lindor by the slightest of margins (6.3 to 6.2).
So I don’t know. The question MLB poses is a good one. These guys are very similar and it’s hard to say which is better.
The one thing that we can be sure of however,m is that NC State fans should be pretty darn proud of Trea Turner. He has worked himself into a position where he is one of the most elite players at one of the most important positions.
What do you think? Are there some deeper metrics that tell a different story? Hit us up on Twitter and let’s talk about it.
Until then, take some time to check out these Trea Turner highlights…
Earlier this season on April 2nd, #21 NC State (22-15) lost to #7 ECU (31-8) 4-12 in Raleigh. This evening the Wolfpack will look to get revenge against the Pirates in a game in Greenville at 6pm.
Overall, NC State holds a 71-43 advantage over East Carolina in the series, which dates back to 1957.
Last year, the Wolfpack and the Pirates split their 2-game series, ironically, losing at home, and winning in Greenville.
Replicating last years results will be no small task. The Pirates are ranked 7th in the land, and boast a 3-1 record against ranked opponents this season. One of those wins was against NC State, when the Wolfpack was ranked 19th. The other two ranked wins were at UNC when they were ranked 15th.
NC State has done well against ranked opponents, going 7-4 against teams in the Top-25, and 4-2 against teams in the Top-10.
The Pirates’ pitching staff leads the AAC and is in the Top-10 nationally in ERA (3.61), WHIP (1.18), hits allowed per nine innings (6.99) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.04).
ECU’s home field advantage is a real thing, going 20-2 at home thus far this season.
Senior Carter Cunningham leads the Pirates in nearly every offensive category, batting .396 with 9 Home Runs. He’s not alone though. Five of ECU’s regular starters have batting averages over .300.
It will be a homecoming for Senior Wolfpack Third Baseman Alec Makarewicz, who transferred to NC State from ECU this offseason. A-Mak is having the best season of his career, hitting 15 Home Runs while batting .349. It would be fitting for Makarewicz to win at his old stomping grounds.
NC State’s Baseball team is solidly back in the Top-25 after winning a series over rival UNC this past weekend, winning 2 of 3 at home. Last week, the Wolfpack were ranked 22nd in the Baseball America poll, but in none of the others.
NC State will play a midweek game at East Carolina tomorrow night on the road, and the Pirates rank 7th in the D1Baseball and Coaches Poll.
NC State won the first two games of the series, clinching their first series victory over rival #11 UNC since 2021, and the first one at home since 2016. The Wolfpack weren’t able to pull of the sweep this afternoon, losing the finale to the Tar Heels 3-14.
The NC State pitching staff didn’t have an answer for the UNC bats today. Starter Freshman Cooper Consiglio gave up 6 runs (5 earned) in 3.1 innings, striking out 4, and walking 4. The Wolfpack put 5 pitchers on the mound today, and every single one of them gave up runs. Sophomore Andrew Shaffner and Freshman Camden Wimbish both gave up 3 runs apiece.
Junior Jacob Cozart was the only bright spot in the Wolfpack’s offense today, hitting 2 solo Home Runs, marking only the 2nd time in his career that he has hit 2+ Home Runs in a single game.
Opposite-field jack for ‘Zart 💪 pic.twitter.com/ssPXqDAgww
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 20, 2024
The second-career multi-homer game for No. 14 💣 pic.twitter.com/Y2mnJHGkbi
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 20, 2024
The Wolfpack have two Top-10 series wins (Duke #9 and Clemson #2), and now another Top-15 series win (UNC #11).
Things don’t get any easier this Tuesday, playing #9 ECU on the road at 6pm. NC State should be ranked when they play the Pirates this week.
