Is Brice Turang quietly becoming the best second baseman in baseball? The Milwaukee Brewers' 26-year-old infielder has never made an All-Star team, but his 2025 campaign is making a compelling case that he belongs in that conversation.

Let's start with the numbers—and they're impressive. Through mid-May, Turang is posting a league-best .422 on-base percentage among qualified hitters, complemented by a .933 OPS and a 163 OPS+. He's already launched six home runs, putting him on pace to shatter last year's career-high of 18. Add in 10 doubles, a triple, 27 RBIs, and eight stolen bases, and you've got the profile of a game-changing offensive force.

According to Baseball Reference, Turang's 2.2 WAR leads the Brewers, while FanGraphs pegs him at 2.0 WAR—both metrics confirming he's the most valuable player on his team. But the real debate starts when you look beyond the bat.

Defensively, Turang passes the eye test with flying colors. He's smooth, reliable, and capable of highlight-reel plays that make you sit up and take notice. But here's where things get interesting: the advanced metrics aren't as convinced. The Fielding Bible's "defensive runs saved" ranks him tied for 13th among second basemen with just one run saved—well behind Seattle's Cole Young (10) and St. Louis rookie JJ Wetherholt (6). Statcast's "outs above average" is even less generous, giving Turang a flat zero, tying him for 21st at the position.

So what gives? It's possible that Turang's anticipation and instincts—the kind of intangible qualities that make a defender look effortless—aren't fully captured by traditional metrics. His ability to read swings and position himself before the ball is even hit might be his secret weapon, even if the stat sheets don't reflect it yet.

Does that make him the best second baseman in baseball? The competition is fierce, with players like Luis Arraez (who leads with nine outs above average in San Francisco) and other rising stars making their own cases. But Turang's combination of elite on-base skills, power growth, and defensive artistry—whether the metrics agree or not—puts him squarely in the conversation.

For Brewers fans and baseball purists alike, watching Turang's evolution is a reminder that sometimes the best players aren't the ones with the flashiest awards. They're the ones quietly putting together seasons that demand your attention.