TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Suncoast Pinellas News

Dunedin's Turgeon Among County's Best - And Getting Better

Eric Horchy/SUNCOAST

Dunedin High shortstop Casey Turgeon has picked up where he left off last year as a standout freshman on the state-title-winning Falcons.

ADVERTISEMENT

By Eric Horchy | The Suncoast News

Published: March 27, 2009

Updated:

DUNEDIN - Based solely upon stature, it may be easy to assume Casey Turgeon as simply a high-average, slap-it-around-the-field type hitter who will hurt you little with the long ball.

Maybe he'll pick you apart, but don't be looking fence-ward if an errant slider hangs fat.

If there is one thing Pinellas County opponents have learned since the Dunedin shortstop's freshman emergence last season, it is that such suppositions are far from reality.

Listed at an unassuming 5-foot-10 and 150 pounds, Turgeon has blasted four round-trippers and notched 11 RBIs in 11 games this season, while batting for a .438 average.

Think a high school version of the Boston Red Sox's Dustin Pedroia.

Those monster efforts have once again led the defending Class 5A State Champion Falcons to stay atop the District 5A-9 standings.

"What he has you can't teach. You either have it or you don't," said Dunedin head coach Tom Hilbert of Turgeon. "He doesn't try to hit long balls, he just tries to hit line drives from gap to gap. But his numbers speak from themselves. He's already one of the most feared offensive threats in this county as only a sophomore."

"I've been working out really hard to get bigger and stronger all year," Turgeon said of the offseason regimen he hoped would improve upon what was an already eye-catching freshman campaign. "I started out a little slow this year, but I already feel stronger than I did last season."

Along with making offensive improvements to his 2008's numbers, Turgeon has smoothly transitioned into two other key roles this year.

For one, the sophomore is the only returning starter from last season's title winner. That entails taking leadership qualities picked up from predecessors like Clay Kollenbaum and Jacob Rogers and then applying them to this year's squad.

"Yeah, I've been trying to do that," he said of assuming a leadership role. "I'm the only starter from last year, so the guys are looking to me a little more."

Hilbert said he, too, is impressed by the broadness of his sophomore's shoulders.

"I'm very proud of him with how he's matured as a leader and as a person," he said.

Turgeon's other conversion is his shift to shortstop from second base - a big jump in on-field responsibility, but one that has come naturally.

"I've been playing short since I was about 7-years-old, so I'm definitely comfortable with it," he said.

Fortunately for Hilbert, his big bopper in the lineup is just as gifted with the glove leather as he is with the aluminum - if not more.

"The thing is, I think the best part of his game is his defense," Hilbert said. "That's saying a lot for a kid that hits right around .500 and puts up the power numbers that he does."

A soft-handed, smooth-fielding middle infielder with a nice arm and ample pop in his bat - it almost seems unfair.

But Turgeon may also has another, albeit microscopic, leg up on his competition, to boot. Genetics.

His father played pro baseball in his day, his older sister, Chelsea, plays collegiate basketball at the University of West Florida and his big brother, Erik, was just selected in the 25th round of last June's Major League Baseball draft by the New York Mets.

With all the tangibles and intangibles seemingly in place, one thing that can be learned from a player like Casey Turgeon is that the only size that truly matters is the size of the game.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT