Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang hit the first home run of his career in grand style – scoring four runs with a huge blast against the New York Mets. The Brice Turang grand slam was the second grand slam of the 2023 MLB season.
The Brewers opened up a 3-0 lead through four innings, but they opened the floodgates in the fifth inning. The first four men who came to the plate reached, and Turang came to the plate with the bases juiced. He turned around a Tommy Hunter pitch and deposited it 417 feet into the seats. Turang’s grand slam left the yard at 104.2 miles per hour, sufficiently in the barrel territory.
What is a Barrel? – The Brice Turang Grand Slam
Statcast defines a barrel as a “batted ball with the perfect combination of exit velocity and launch angle.” Turang launched his grand slam at 23 degrees with a 104.2 mile-per-hour exit velocity – both numbers squarely within barrel territory.
During the game, there were four barrels including three by the Brewers and one by the Mets’ Starling Marte.
Barrels generally result in extra-base hits, and they are often home runs. Marte and Garrett Mitchell’s barrels were flyouts while both Turang and Brian Anderson’s barrels were home runs.
The Rest of the Game
After the Brice Turang grand slam, the Brewers led the Mets 10-0. Rookie Joey Wiemer reached after the Turang home run, but Christian Yelich and Jesse Winker recorded outs to end the fifth. No runs were scored the rest of the game as the Brewers’ starter Freddy Peralta and the Brewers’ bullpen locked down the Mets’ lineup to the tune of just three hits.
In Turang’s first game in Milwaukee, he went two-for-three with two runs scored and the grand slam. He also drew a walk. So far, he has a .500 batting average and an impressive 1.515 OPS. If he continues to hit like this, he will be a great contender for National League Rookie of the Year.
History of the Brice Turang Grand Slam
Turang hit his first grand slam (and first home run) in just his fourth MLB game. Turang is just the 139th player in MLB history to drive in at least four runs in one of his first four games. The most recent player to join this group was Ford Proctor of the San Francisco Giants. Proctor is also the last player to hit a grand slam as early in his career as Turang – doing it in his fourth MLB game.
Turang hit the 192nd grand slam in Milwaukee Brewers’ history. Turang has a long way to catch the Brewers’ leader in grand slams – Ryan Braun – but this is a great start for the rookie.
Four Brewers hit grand slams in 2022 including Christian Yelich, Rowdy Tellez, Willy Adames, and Mike Brosseau. Like Turang, Brosseau hit his grand slam against the Mets at home.
Aftermath of the Brice Turang Grand Slam
Turang has been a bright spot for the Brewers in the early days of the 2023 season. He is projected to be the long-term option at second base for the Brewers, but his defensive and base running will be prioritized. If he develops consistent power, he could be the next great infielder alongside major power threats in Adames and Tellez in the current group of Brewers.
The Brewers have a terrific cast of young players led by Turang. While they missed the playoffs in 2022, Turang and others could push the Brewers back into playoff contention in 2023.
According to Sports Betting Dime, Turang is 40-to-1 to win National League Rookie of the Year. While it has only been a few games, it could be a worthwhile bet to make.
