Top 25 MLB players to watch in October
18. Trea Turner
There will not be a faster, more dynamic player in the 2017 postseason than Washington Nationals shortstop and leadoff man Trea Turner. His legs may be one of the most dangerous weapons in these playoffs. A midseason injury may have been the only thing keeping Turner from taking a crack at stealing 100 bases this year.
Turner has been the most dynamic leadoff hitter in baseball for the last two seasons. Dusty Baker and the Nationals left him in the minor leagues a little too long last season, which cost him the 2016 NL Rookie of the Year. His freak wrist injury in June also kept him from playing a full season this year. In 159 games in parts of the past two years, Turner is a .309/.350/.501 hitter with 207 hits, 120 runs, 34 doubles, 14 triples, 22 home runs, 81 RBI and 73 stolen bases. Those are MVP numbers.
The Nationals are expecting to get Bryce Harper back in time for the postseason, but Turner may actually be their most dangerous player in the postseason where scoring runs becomes much more difficult. His speed is just unmatched in the sport today, but he is also much more than a slap hitter like Juan Pierre. Turner also has great instincts on the bases and has been thrown out only 12 times. He knows when to take off and will not give away outs.