Should Team USA defeat Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic final Tuesday evening, Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner may very well be in line to win MVP of the tournament.
Despite hitting at or near the bottom of Mark DeRosa's lineup in the four games that Turner has started in during the WBC, he leads the tournament in home runs (four) and is second in RBIs (10). Additionally, the only game that Team USA has lost in this WBC came against Team Mexico, when Tim Anderson started at shortstop over Turner.
While both Masataka Yoshida and Munetaka Murakami have cases for having delivered the biggest hits of the tournament, so too does Turner. The two-time All-Star hit a go-ahead grand slam during the eighth inning of a quarterfinal matchup with the previously undefeated Team Venezuela:
Of course, for Turner to win MVP, Team USA will almost certainly need to knock off Team Japan in the final Tuesday. If not, Yoshida -- set to begin his MLB career with the Boston Red Sox in 2023 -- may very well take home the honor. Even more likely is that Shohei Ohtani, he of the .450 batting average and 102 mph fastballs, is the MVP if Team Japan wins it all.
Turner and Team USA are currently listed at 1 1/2 run favorites, according to DraftKings.
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