Brice Turang is bigger and, he and the Brewers hope, better in his sophomore season

That season-opening sweep of the New York Mets at Citi Field over the weekend?

It had Brice Turang's fingerprints all over it.

Despite not even starting the first game, the 24-year-old was one of the most impactful players in the series for the Milwaukee Brewers, along with Jackson Chourio, by collecting five hits, four stolen bases, scoring two runs and making a handful of stellar defensive plays at second base.

"Obviously he's way more confident and knows that he belongs," manager Pat Murphy said Tuesday in advance of his team's home opener against the Minnesota Twins. "When that happens, that's an awesome thing. That's an awesome thing to watch. It's like, that first time you see a little green coming out of the dirt, you know what I mean?

"It's beautiful."

It was a performance the team believed Turang was capable of from the moment he was selected 21st overall in the 2018 draft, and one that was seen in fits and starts in his rookie season in 2023.

The ups were huge, like the 12 defensive runs saved at second base (tied for third in the major leagues), 26 stolen bases (sixth rookie to steal 25 or more in franchise history) and the memorable grand slam he hit to help beat the Mets at American Family Field for his first major-league homer last April 3.

But then there was the .218 average and .585 OPS, underscoring struggles at the plate that became so profound that the Brewers demoted Turang to Class AAA Nashville in early June. He returned three weeks later with Luis Urías put on the Nashville shuttle and ultimately finished with 137 games played.

Turang certainly isn't the first rookie to struggle – fellow youngster Joey Wiemer was another prime example – and he won't be the last.

Brice Turang remakes body to withstand long season but keeps his speed

But, as Murphy alluded to, Turang is back and already making is presence felt in Year 2 thanks in large part to an offseason spent strengthening himself and adding muscle mass in an attempt to better prepare himself for the rigors of a 162-game season.

After the Brewers were eliminated by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League wild-card series, Turang went back home at a mere 171 pounds. He recently tipped the scales at 193 while flashing a noticeably bulkier frame, a weight that he is aiming to maintain over the grind of the next six-plus months.

Most important, Turang has been able to maintain the speed and lateral movement that defines his game.

"I still want to be fast," he said. "I've got to maintain that. That's part of my game. Me and my trainer have conversations about that all the time. Continuing to get stronger while maintaining that speed is the whole goal."

Turang is in that sweet spot of youth where he can eat and eat and not necessarily have to worry about the effects (remember those days?)

But it hasn't been a diet of cheeseburgers, pizza and ice cream that's gotten Turang to where he is. It's cleaner, healthier eating with some help from ancillary sources.

"It's just calorie-based. I just eat," he said. "I wake up and try to eat from the morning through the night, four or five meals a day. I'm just looking at menus and seeing what has the most calories along with (protein) shakes and stuff like that.

"And on top of that I worked extremely hard in the gym. So, I maintained my speed and my body fat and stuff like that and just gained muscle. It's good weight."

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Brice Turang makes big impression in weekend sweep of Mets

Any potential questions about whether Turang can still move with that weight were answered resoundingly in New York.

The play he made in the ninth inning Friday, ranging to his right and well past second base to rob the speedy Harrison Bader with a leaping, one-hopped throw to first was a thing of beauty. Murphy's ability to put three shortstops on the infield late in close games with Willy Adames, Joey Ortiz and Turang is a true luxury.

Then there were the four stolen bases. He made Saturday a miserable one for Mets catcher Francisco Alvárez by stealing three, then got Omar Narváez for a fourth on Sunday as the Brewers went 8 for 8 in that department in the series.

Turang, who was back in the starting lineup Tuesday, entered ranked second behind only Boston's Jarren Duran (five) in stolen bases.

He then took the lead back by pilfering two more while also collecting two more hits, including an RBI double, to help the Brewers beat the Twins, 3-2.

"Causing chaos – stealing bases, moving guys over, putting guys in scoring position – that's all part of the game," said Turang, whose sprint speed last season was in the 95th percentile in the majors. "Just been playing baseball. Playing hard, the right way, and just continue to do that."

The offensive piece will continue to be the biggest challenge for Turang.

His batting profile was rough to say the least in 2023 as he struggled to make any sort of consistently hard contact and added little in terms of run production.

But by adding Rhys Hoskins and Gary Sánchez in the offseason, Milwaukee's lineup is considerably more potent and balanced and the pressure on Turang to produce should be somewhat lessened, although as has already been seen, having him on base at any point is a major plus.

Also, don't sleep on Turang's ability to lay down a bunt. He already has a beauty that produced a base hit and a run in the Mets series, and Murphy undoubtedly will continue to usee that skill when the time is right.

"He's working toward becoming a better offensive player," Murphy said. "He's not there yet. But obviously, he's way more confident and knows that he belongs."

In the meantime, the Brewers will keep watering Turang and nurturing him, as Murphy alluded to, in the hopes more leaves will sprout and his roots will become even more entrenched in an organization that is going to continue to rely heavily upon its young core of talent.

"Just trying to be the best version of myself, you know?" Turang said. "Just working hard and getting the at-bats and the experience. It's been good."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brice Turang set on making bigger impact for Milwaukee Brewers in 2024