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…
#20 NC State will head down to Tallahassee tomorrow for a 3-game series against #7 FSU. Before they do, here’s a look at where NC State is projected to land in the 2024 NCAA Tournament as things currently stand.
Last week, both D1Baseball and Baseball America projected the Wolfpack to play as a #2 seed in the Greenville Regional (ECU), with the former projecting the Pirates to be a #6 seed, and the latter projecting them to be a #8 seed.
This week, D1Baseball has NC State as a #2 seed in the Lexington Regional, with Kentucky as a #5 seed. Baseball America still has the Wolfpack as a #2 seed in the Greenville Region, with the Pirates still sitting as a #8 seed.
D1Baseball
Baseball America
#20 NC State lost to UNC-Wilmington 4-5 this evening at home, losing their 5th straight midweek game. The Wolfpack were swept by the Seahawks this year, ironically losing 4-5 down in Wilmington on April 9th.
Freshman Ryan Marohn got the starting nod, and he was excellent, giving up 1 earned run in 5 innings pitched, striking out 7. It was arguably his best start since his collegiate debut against VCU in the opening series.
Sophomore Shane Van Dam was Mr. Reliable through much of the season, but he hasn’t had his best stuff as of late. This evening, he faced four batters, hitting 2, walking another, and surrendering a hit to the other. Van Dam failed to record an out, and gave up 3 earned runs. Heading into the UNC game back on April 18th, Van Dam had a 2.63 ERA. After the past 4 appearances, his ERA has shot up to 3.96.
Freshman Jacob Dudan settled things down, pitching 4 scoreless innings, giving up only 1 hit, while striking out 5.
Unfortunately, Sophomore Derrick Smith allowed the Seahawks to score a run in the Top of the 10th, which was enough for the opposing team to leave Raleigh with a win, with NC State failing to score a run in the final 5 frames.
Junior Jacob Cozart continues an insane power surge, hitting two more Home Runs tonight. Cozart has hit 7 Home Runs in the past 6 games.
*Scheduled tweet* pic.twitter.com/eHvyuGT6so
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 30, 2024
SCOREBOARD SHOT 🚀 pic.twitter.com/tMvY8imzgG
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 30, 2024
Cozart now has 14 Home Runs on the year. His previous career high was 11.
Senior 1st Baseman Garrett Pennington also hit a Solo Home Run, his 11th bomb of the year.
Goodbye Baseball ✌️#Pack9 | @Garrettpenn14 pic.twitter.com/p0tySYt3aF
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 30, 2024
On Friday, the Wolfpack will head down to Tallahassee for a 3-game series against #7 Florida State.
After sweeping Ball State this past weekend, NC State jumped up in almost all of the Top-25 polls.
Baseball America – 13th (+4)
RPI – 20th (+9)
D1Baseball – 20th (+1)
USAToday Coaches Poll – 20th (+3)
Perfect Game – 25th (-)
