Biography
Brice Craig Turang (born November 21, 1999) is an American professional baseball second baseman 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 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2023 and won a Gold Glove Award and Platinum Glove Award in 2024.
Amateur career
Turang attended Santiago High School in Corona, California. MaxPreps named Turang the national freshman of the year after he hit .475 with two home runs and 27 runs batted in (RBIs). He also won USA Baseball's Richard W. "Dick" Case Award for his play on the national under-15 team. As a junior in 2017, he hit .465 and struck out only once in 101 at bats. In 2018, as a senior, he batted .352 with five home runs and 21 RBIs. Turang committed to play college baseball at Louisiana State University.
Professional career
The Milwaukee Brewers selected Turang in the first round, with the 21st overall selection, of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft. 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. In 42 games between the two clubs, Turang batted .283 with one home run, 18 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases.
Turang began 2019 with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, earning Midwest League All-Star honors. 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. Over 47 games with Carolina, he batted .200 with one home run, six RBIs, and nine stolen bases.
With the 2020 minor league season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Turang trained at the Brewers' alternate site in Appleton, Wisconsin. He started 2021 with the Biloxi Shuckers and was promoted to the Nashville Sounds in early August. Over 117 games between the two clubs, Turang slashed .258/.347/.362 with six home runs, 53 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases. 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. On November 15, 2022, the Brewers added Turang to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
On March 27, 2023, the Brewers announced that Turang had made the Opening Day roster. Turang started on opening day, batting ninth and playing second base, hitting 1-for-3. On April 2, Turang hit his first double, also driving in Rowdy Tellez for his first major league RBI. During the home opener against the New York Mets on April 3, Turang hit his first career home run, a grand slam off of Tommy Hunter. He finished his rookie season batting .218 with 6 home runs and 26 steals in 448 plate appearances, but his defense at second base was above average, according to several advanced metrics.
In 2024, Turang batted .254/.316/.349 with seven home runs and 57 RBIs in 619 plate appearances. He had the lowest pull percentage of all major league batters, at 26.4 percent. He won the Platinum Glove Award, given to the league's best fielder, and a Gold Glove at second base.
Personal life
His father, Brian Turang, played in two MLB seasons for the Seattle Mariners. His mother Carrie played twice in the Women's College World Series (WCWS) for Long Beach State. His sister Brianna played in the WCWS three times for Oklahoma and is married to National Football League punter Tress Way. Sister Carissa played softball at Southern Miss and Cal State Fullerton and soccer at Oklahoma City University. Another sister, Cabria, played soccer at Utah. His sister Bailee played volleyball at Southern Nazarene University.