Seager, Turner lead historic talent at position

Since 1900, the highest career batting average by any shortstop is .328 by Honus Wagner, the Flying Dutchman, whose hands were so big that he sometimes scooped up dirt along with the ball and threw pebbles in a cloud toward first base, along with the ball. Wagner is a legend, often surrounded by myth.

We tend not to notice such larger-than-life men when they play in our own time, especially when they are young, still finding a final form and have yet to display their most monstrous season or greatest October heroics. Would we know players now if they were on the same alltime lists as Wagner, who also ranks fourth and first at his position in popular modern metrics like onbase-plus-slugging percentage (.858) and runs created-plus?

Would we notice, for example, 23-year-old Corey Seager of the Los Angeles Dodgers who, at this moment, has the seventhhighest batting average of any shortstop ever (.309), one spot behind Derek Jeter, or Trea Turner of Washington who is 10th on that list (.307)?

Would we appreciate, so early in their careers, that only one shortstop, Alex Rodriguez, has a better career OPS that Seager’s .885 and that Carlos Correa of Houston, Turner and Francisco Lindor of the Indians rank eighth, 10th and 13th on that list? Would we realize we are probably living in the greatest generation of shortstops?

Outside the Nats clubhouse on Saturday, after he’d gotten an RBI hit in his team’s 3-2 loss to Seager’s Dodgers, Turner looked at all these names and their numbers. In allaround speed, as measured by FanGraphs, who is the fastest shortstop ever? It’s Turner. In Bill James’ runs created-plus, he is 10th, behind Seager (fourth) and Correa, but ahead of Lindor (17th).

In “isolated power,” the measure where names like Ernie Banks and Nomar Garciaparra jump near the top, Seager is 10th, Turner 12th. “Wow,” says Turner.

Other under-25s, like Boston’s Xander Bogaerts, a part of Boston’s 2013 World Series run, the Cubs’ Addison Russell, who had nine RBI in last season’s World Series, the Rockies’ Trevor Story and even Cards’ torrid rookie Paul DeJong have flashy numbers, but it’s Seager, with Turner, Lindor and Correa on his heels, who stand at the top of an amazing class of what Honus might have called “Keystone Kids.”

Early-career performance can dim as the league studies you, or diminish from injury or lost determination. So, Trea, are these numbers from your first 186 games an early-career fluke?

“I friggin’ hope not!” said Turner, who, just turned 24 “friggin’.”

Saturday was Turner’s 159th game under Manager Dusty Baker. In that time, he’s had a typical range of baseball experiences including hot streaks, slumps and, this year, a leg injury that cost him games, timing and speed, then a broken wrist that put him on the disabled list for two months. Now, he’s back and hot again.

Put it together and in those 159 games and 669 at-bats, he has 120 runs, 206 hits, 34 doubles, 14 triples, 22 homers, 80 RBI, 73 steals (12 caught), a .310 batting average and .852 OPS. In his past 53 games, about a third of a season, he’s hit .311 with 43 runs, an .849 OPS and 31 steals.

There’s a pattern: .310, 120 runs, 70 steals and 65 extra-base hits - if he stays healthy. But, this year, he has proved he’s a good defensive shortstop, too, with only six errors in 86 games and an arm that’s much stronger than advertised, especially on unconventional plays when he chooses to jump and fire from midair. “It works for me,” he says. and still says