Trea Turner has a plan to hit more home runs for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2026.
Trea Turner has already established himself as one of baseball’s top contact hitters, and has been for almost the last decade. However, the Philadelphia Phillies slugger wants to add more power to his swing for the 2026 season.
In order for Turner to hit for more power, he doesn’t feel he needs to sacrifice hitting for average.
“In ‘21 was probably my best season. I hit for good average and I hit, I think, 28 homers or so, something like that. So it's in there,” said Turner in a recent interview with 94 WIP.
During that season with the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers, Turner hit 28 home runs and still led the National League with a .328 batting average.
Aug 18, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) hits a three-run home run during the second inning against the Seattle Mariners at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn ImagesThe question is, how does he get back to that level of play? Turner understands that he doesn’t have the same natural power that Bryce Harper or Kyle Schwarber has, so he must generate it in a different way.
“For me, last year, the missing piece was kind of pulling the ball in the air. When I would pull the ball, it was a little more like side spin, top spin, as opposed to back spin, and I'm a big backspin guy,” explained Turner.
“Last year, I used the whole field really well. I want to continue to do that. But when I get my mistakes, and when I pull the ball, I need to pull it with some backspin in the air to the left side. I don't gotta hit it 110 miles an hour. I just got to hit that 102, you know, and clip it good. That's how I hit my homers.”
This is an interesting analysis from Turner, and he’s absolutely correct. Before Turner was traded to the Dodgers in 2021, he had a pull-rate of 42.4 percent. Last season, that was at 39.9 percent. Not a huge difference, but enough to possible precent a handful of home runs.
There was a time last year when Turner felt like he was getting back to that point in his swing, but then he was placed on the injured list.
“I felt like when I was getting hot right before I got hurt, I started doing that, and I started seeing the adjustment where even if I wasn't hitting a homer, I was kind of back sending it to the pull side. So, for me, that's just the difference is continuing everything I was doing,” continued Turner.
Hopefully, with the focus on generating more backspin, Turner can get back to a season in which he hits 20 or more home runs.
Phillies Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Phillies. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.