Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang is the black-and-white reel amidst today’s brilliant cinematography.
In a world filled with celebrity attention-seekers, Turang is a gray Ford Taurus in a lot filled with Bentleys.
He plays baseball without flipping his bat after homers or pounding his chest after making brilliant plays.
There is no marketing on his social media account. There are no notable sound bites in interviews with the media. He doesn’t have his own podcast. And never does he open his soul to anyone but close friends and family.
He’s simply a grinder who may be the best all-around second baseman in the game.
“He could have played in any era, the 60s, the 70’s, the 80’s, you name it," Brewers manager Pat Murphy tells USA TODAY Sports. “He’s not looking to impress you with his flair. He’s definitely not a 'Look-at-me' guy. He’s not looking for attention. He’s a team guy. He loves baseball.
“He just loves preparing for the game and playing it. He’s really special. It’s all legit, bro."
You want a glimpse of Turang? Check out the first walk-off homer of his career with two outs in the ninth inning on Mother’s Day against the New York Yankees for a 4-3 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 40,175 at American Family Field.
The place went bonkers when his 411-foot shot cleared the center-field fence, with his teammates screaming and jumping over the dugout railing to greet him.
Turang’s reaction?
He dropped his bat, rounded the bases with no emotion, methodically high-fived third base Matt Erickson and stepped on home plate.
When he was doused by a bucket of Gatorade by his teammates, he looked almost annoyed that his cap got wet, and then spoke for a brief minute on the field.
How did it feel hitting his first career walk-off?
“Yeah, it felt good," he calmly said. “Got the pitch I wanted, and drove it, so it always feels good, and feel even better when the team wins.’’
Not exactly riveting, but that’s Turang, who gets more giddy finding a local gas station that just dropped their price of unleaded.
Nothing shakes the guy.
When MLB Network unveiled its ranking of the game’s best second basemen this spring, Turang was ranked 10th. It was laughable, bordering on absurd. You’re talking about a guy who won the Platinum Glove award as the best defensive player in the National League in 2024. A guy who finished 14th in the MVP voting in 2025. A guy who hit .288 with 18 homers, 81 RBIs and a .794 OPS last year leading the Brewers to the NLCS.
Turang saw the rankings, and didn’t utter a word. He’ll simply let his performance do the talking.
He’s having the greatest offensive season by any second baseman this season, hitting .297 with an MLB-leading .418 on-base percentage, .921 OPS, six homers, 27 RBIs, 33 runs and eight stolen bases this year. He opened the season reaching base in 21 consecutive games – the third-longest streak in franchise history – and in the last two weeks is hitting .375 with a 1.087 OPS.
He has been the metronome for the Brewers’ success in a season in which sluggers Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn have played a combined 34 games for the Brewers. Turang has played and started in 39 games, almost refusing to ever come out.
“He played three or four games he shouldn’t have," Murphy said, “with his sore ankle. “But he gives you that funny look if he’s not in there. He wants to be in that lineup every single day.’’
He’s a genuine superstar, but when you’re playing in Milwaukee, the smallest-market in baseball, folks tend to ignore you.
“He’s not just the best second baseman in baseball," Brewers shortstop Joey Ortiz said, “I think he’s one of the best players in the world."
Turang gets rave reviews from Aaron Judge
It’s not hyperbole. If you go back to last August, Turang ranks as the fourth-best player in the game, according to FanGraphs, with a 4.8 WAR. He trails only Dodgers three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, Judge and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt.
“He’s one of my favorite players to watch in the game right now," Yankees three-time MVP Aaron Judge told Milwaukee reporters last weekend. “He's going to be a bright young star in this game for a long time. …
“He’s one of a kind, man. I wish we had him on this team."
Judge and Turang were teammates for three weeks during the World Baseball Classic, and it was Turang who stole the show, hitting .364 with his eight hits, four doubles, five RBIs and a .931 OPS in the six games. Turang left his USA teammates gushing about his skills, saying they knew he was talented, but hadn't fully fathomed his all-around greatness.
It was the rave reviews that supplemented Turang’s confidence, knowing that he could not only hold his own with the finest players in the world, but actually thrive, and be recognized as one of the game’s greatest.
“I learned so much from that experience," Turang said, “understanding what makes them great. These were some of the most respected guys in the game and they were so cool helping me out, learning how to go about your business, the mental side of it, the routine, and competing."
Said Yelich: “You could see the difference. He came back far more confident for sure. When you’re on a team with those kind of players, and you fit in, it does a lot for your confidence. And confidence is big part of his game.
“He’s always been a talented player, but he’s turned himself into a great player."
Turang, 26, grew up in a family with his dad, Brian, playing outfield for the Seattle Mariners, and his mom, Carrie, playing softball at Long Beach State. He has five sisters who were collegiate softball, soccer and volleyball players. His brother-in-law, Tress Way, punts for the Washington Commanders.
He has always had a quiet burning confidence, but rarely exposes it. Yet, when he was drafted by the Brewers in 2018 with the 21st pick out of Santiago High School in Corona, California, they were $1 million apart in negotiations at the outset. Turang, who had a scholarship at LSU waiting for him, offered David Stearns, the Brewers president of baseball operations at the time, a little advice.
“You going to let $1 million stand in the way of signing a Hall of Famer?" Turang asked, matter-of-factly.
Turang, with less than 24 hours left before the deadline, agreed to a $3.41 million signing bonus, nearly $400,000 over the slot value.
And the Brewers had their future star.
Turang reached the big leagues in 2023, and the Brewers have won the NL Central every year since his arrival, and with a 26-18 record this year, are in prime playoff position again.
Brewers vs. Cubs showdown looms
They open their biggest series of the season Monday against their hated rival, the Chicago Cubs, at Wrigley Field, sitting 2 ½ games behind the Cubs. Really, it’s a similar predicament to a year ago when they were six games behind the Cubs at this point, only to win the NL Central by five games.
And, just to prove they were the superior team last year, knocked off the Cubs in the NL Division Series, with Turang hitting a home run in the seventh inning of the deciding game of the best-of-five series, a 3-1 victory.
“I remember him coming to the dugout after his second at-bat," Murphy says, “and he says, 'Murph, I’m right there. I’m just missing those things. I don’t know how I’m missing it.' "
The third time up, Turang crushed a 416-foot homer over the left-center field wall, and with the stadium shaking, Turang calmly came back to the dugout and said, “That’s it. I told you I was right there."
Now, with the Cubs and Brewers set to play for the first time this season, Turang isn’t planning to get hyped, either. There are no trophies handed out to the winner of the series. A sweep one way or the other isn’t going to make or break a season.
There’s far too much time left to get overly excited, no matter that Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, perhaps his primary competition to be the National League’s starting second baseman at the All-Star Game, will be across the field.
“It’s going to be a good time," Turang says. “I like playing there. They draw really well. They’ve got a cool fan base. And it’s always competitive. But we don’t look too much into this. You just got to stack up wins, and see where you are at the end of the season.
“We’re going to play our style of game. And I’m going to play my style. We’ll see how it all works out at the end."
In the meantime, we’ll see if this is the year Turang finally gets his due, and is on the national stage in Philadelphia in two months with his first invitation to the All-Star Game.
“Forget the personal stuff," Turang says, “I want to be a good teammate. I want to stay on the field. And I want to win.
“That’s all I’ve ever wanted. Just win every single day that I can."
Around the basepaths
– “The Curse of the Schwarbs?"
It was back in 2021 when Schwarber was traded to the Boston Red Sox, and he badly wanted to stay when he hit free agency. The Red Sox never made an offer, and kept J.D. Martinez as their DH before signing Masataka Yoshida to a five-year, $90 million contract the next winter.
Schwarber wound up signing a four-year, $79 million free-agent contract with the Phillies. The rest is history.
The Red Sox have since had only one winning season, finished last in two seasons, are in last place again this season, and mired in a historic offensive drought. The Red Sox have scored just 34 runs in their last 16 games at Fenway Park, their lowest output since 1917 – two years before they sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees, and the birth of the Curse of the Bambino.
Schwarber has since hit 207 homers for the Phillies, including a major-league leading 20 this season, and has turned Fenway Park into his own playground with a career 1.139 OPS.
– Rival executives say that one of the hottest commodities at the trade deadline will be Colorado Rockies pitcher Antonio Senzatela.
Senzatela, pitching in relief for the first time in his career, is thriving since the conversion. He’s 3-0 with a 1.32 ERA and a 0.768 WHIP. He’s in the final year of his five-year, $50.5 million contract, and should bring a nice trade return for the Rockies.
– The Chicago Cubs, who are seeking a front-line starter at the trade deadline, may have no choice but to move infielder Matt Shaw, who’s blocked at third base by Alex Bregman and second base by Nico Hoerner. He has been in the starting lineup just 22 times this season.
– While the St. Louis Cardinals’ surprising success may thwart plans for selling at the trade deadline, teams still are keeping a close eye on closer Riley O’Brien and pitchers JoJo Romero and Dustin May.
– It’s absurd that after the Dodgers and Giants four-game series ended this past week, the two historic rivals don’t play one another again until Sept. 18.
– Houston Astros manager Joe Espada’s job may be in increasing danger with each passing day.
– They were two of the most highly-sought after amateurs in their draft classes, were each dumped by two different teams, labeled busts by the baseball industry, only to emerge this year as potential All Stars.
Say hello to Mickey Moniak of the Colorado Rockies and JJ Bleday of the Cincinnati Reds.
Moniak, the No. 1 pick by the Phillies in 2016, is hitting .306 with 12 homers, 26 RBI and 1.023 OPS.
Bleday, the No. 4 pick by the Marlins in 2019, is hitting .345 with six homers, 19 RBI and 1.241 OPS.
– Now that two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is expected to return to the Tigers before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, would it make sense for them to trade him if they're out of the race?
The Tigers have lost 13 of their last 19 games.
– The greatest race of the year may be for the National League Cy Young award:
- Paul Skenes, Pirates: 6-2, 1.98 ERA
- Jake Misierowski, Brewers: 3-2, 2.12 ERA, 80 strikeouts in 51.2 innings
- Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers: 3-2, 0.82 ERA
- Chase Burns, Reds: 5-1, 1.87 ERA
- Chris Sale, Atlanta: 6-3, 1.96 ERA
- Cristopher Sanchez, Phillies: 5-2, 1.82 ERA
- Mason Miller, Padres: 1-0, 0.86 ERA, 14 saves, 44 strikeouts in 21 innings.
You make the call.
– While MLB’s national viewership has increased this year, perhaps most encouraging, according to Playfly Sports, is the increase in viewership by younger fans.
While local viewership is down 2% for fans the ages of 35-64, and 6% for fans 50 and older, viewership is up by 2% in the 18-49 demographics, according to Playfly Sports.
Fifteen of the 21 teams tracked by Playfly Sports have shown an increase in viewership, with unique streamer viewership up by 24%.
– The San Francisco Giants’ decision to call up slugger Bryce Eldridge but not play him every day is a head-scratcher.
– The Colorado Rockies, who have spent decades and tens of thousands of dollars in research trying to find a magical formula for success pitching at Coors Field, may want to have a sit-down with Arizona Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly, 37.
He just threw the first complete game of his career at Coors Field. Kelly not only has a 1.96 ERA in his last seven starts at Coors Field, but also is the only visitor in Coors Field history with seven consecutive quality starts.
– Cubs veteran starter Matthew Boyd shut down the narrative that he suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee playing with his kids.
“My kids had nothing to do with this,’’ Boyd told Chicago reporters Friday. “I was just kneeling down on the floor to play with my kids, and my knee popped twice, literally. As unglamorous as that sounds, that’s just kind of what happened.
“I didn’t even get the chance to play with them because my knee popped on the way down."
– One of the most prized commodities at the trade deadline was going to be Mets starter Clay Holmes (1.86 ERA), who’s expected to opt out of his contract after the season, but with a fractured tibia, he may be staying put.
– Brewers pitcher Aaron Ashby is trying to go where no reliever has ever gone before in MLB history:
Become the first 20-game winner pitching strictly out of the bullpen.
He already has eight victories, two more than any starter.
The closest any reliever has come to winning 20 games is the Pirates’ Roy Face (18-1) in 1959.
– The Phillies are building a tradition this decade of slow starts, followed by rapid success:
2022: 21-29 start, and the firing of Joe Girardi, followed by a 25-10 stretch under manager Rob Thomson.
2023: 25-32 start, followed by a 23-7 stretch.
2024: 8-8 start, followed by a 29-6 stretch.
2025: 13-13 start, followed by a 23-6 stretch.
2026: 9-19 start, and the firing of Thomson, followed by a 13-4 stretch under manager Don Mattingly.
– You want to make Mets’ fans scream in anguish?
First baseman Pete Alonso missed 24 games in his seven years with the Mets.
Jorge Polanco, Alonso’s replacement, has missed 31 games in his seven weeks with the Mets.
– Minnesota Twins first baseman Josh Bell stole second base on Wednesday for his first steal in 978 games, the longest streak between stolen bases since at least 1900.
– Paul Skenes, who has a 1.98 ERA, could become the first pitcher since Grover Cleveland Alexander in 1915-1917 to post three consecutive sub-2.00 ERA seasons.
– How nasty is Misiorowski?
He has thrown 233 pitches clocked at 100 mph or faster this season.
The other starters in baseball have combined for 144.
Misiorowski hasn't allowed an extra-base hit since April 19.
– Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker, who has never hit more than 16 homers in a season, already has 13 and is on pace to hit 45. How rare of a feat is that for the Cardinals? The Cardinals have had only five players hit 40 homers in a season. The last Cardinal to hit 40 homers was Albert Pujols in 2010.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brice Turang already among MLB's top talents for Brewers after WBC turn
Jordan Walker
Munetaka Murakami
Max Muncy
