Brice Turang

Brice Craig Turang (born November 21, 1999) is an American professional baseball second baseman and shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Brewers selected Turang in the first round, with the 21st overall selection, of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft. He made his MLB debut in 2023.

Brice Turang
Turang with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2024
Milwaukee Brewers – No. 2
Second baseman / Shortstop
Born: (1999-11-21) November 21, 1999 (age 24)
Corona, California, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
March 30, 2023, for the Milwaukee Brewers
MLB statistics
(through July 4, 2024)
Batting average.249
Home runs12
Runs batted in72
Stolen bases54
Teams
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  United States
15U Baseball World Cup
Silver medal – second place 2014 Mazatlán Team
U-18 Baseball World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2017 Thunder Bay Team

Amateur career

Turang attended Santiago High School in Corona, California. As a freshman he was named the National Freshman of the Year by MaxPreps after hitting .475 with two home runs and 27 runs batted in (RBIs).[1] He also won the Richard W. "Dick" Case Award, by USA Baseball.[2] As a junior in 2017, he hit .465 and struck out only once in 101 at-bats.[3] In 2018, as a senior, he batted .352 with five home runs and 21 RBIs.[4] Turang committed to Louisiana State University (LSU) to play college baseball.[5]

Professional career

The Milwaukee Brewers selected Turang in the first round, with the 21st overall selection, of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[6] He signed for a $3.4 million signing bonus and was assigned to the Arizona League Brewers before being promoted to the Helena Brewers in August.[7][8] In 42 games between the two clubs, Turang batted .283 with one home run, 18 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases.[9]

Turang began 2019 with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, earning Midwest League All-Star honors.[10][11] After slashing .287/.384/.376 with two home runs, 31 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases over 82 games with Wisconsin, he was promoted to the Carolina Mudcats in July.[12] Over 47 games with Carolina, he batted .200 with one home run, six RBIs, and nine stolen bases.[13]

Turang did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[14] To begin 2021, he was assigned to the Biloxi Shuckers and was promoted to the Nashville Sounds in early August.[15] Over 117 games between the two clubs, Turang slashed .258/.347/.362 with six home runs, 53 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases.[16]

In 2022, Turang played for the Triple–A Nashville, where he slashed .286/.360/.412 with 13 home runs, 78 RBIs and 34 stolen bases.[17] On November 15, 2022, the Brewers added Turang to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[18]

On March 27, 2023, the Brewers announced that Turang had made the Opening Day roster.[19] Turang completed the game playing second base and batting ninth, hitting 1-for-3.[20] On April 2, Turang hit his first double, which was also drove in Rowdy Tellez and was his first RBI.[21] During the season home opener against the New York Mets on April 3, Turang hit his first career home run, which was also a grand slam, off of Tommy Hunter.[22]

Personal life

His father, Brian Turang, played in MLB briefly for the Seattle Mariners.[23] His mother Carrie played twice in the Women's College World Series for Long Beach State. His sister Brianna is married to National Football League (NFL) punter Tress Way and played in the Women's College World Series three times for Oklahoma. His sister Carissa played soccer and softball at Oklahoma City University and at Cal State Fullerton. Another sister, Cabria, played soccer at Utah. His sister Bailee played volleyball at Southern Nazarene University.[24][25]

References

Further reading