Padres Hand Out July’s Minor League Awards

Mandatory Credit: milb.com

Top Defender: Trea Turner (Single-A Low):

The guy who has caught everyone’s eye this year in the minors has been 2014  top pick Trea Turner. The shortstop out of NC State was picked 13th overall by the Padres has done nothing but back up that decision. While most people might focus in on his .327 batting average across 2 levels of A ball the Padres are trying to make sure you don’t sleep on his defense. He made all the plays in the month of July quite literally. He failed to commit a single error all last month.

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With the importance of the shortstop position on the defensive side of the ball, having a plus defender on your side is incredibly beneficial. Guys like Alex Gonzalez or more recently Jose Iglesias can provide a great deal of help for a pitcher, but those two guys have had a problem keeping a starting job in one place because they struggle at the plate. Turner is combining elite level defense with elite level offense and that kind of production is rare, especially in such an important position. The pick of Turner was one of the last things Josh Byrnes did in his tenure here, and if he’s remembered for that then I’m sure he’ll be okay with that.