When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Justin Turner to a Minor League contract in 2014 after he was released by the New York Mets, there’s no way they could have envisioned the player he would become.
After productive seasons in 2014, 2015 and 2016, Turner re-signed with the Dodgers on a four-year, $64 million contract last winter. He raved about the Dodgers organization and spoke of returning to to take care of unfinished business, a World Series.
Turner certainly looked like a man on a mission to begin the season, as through the first month and a half of the year he sported a .379 batting average. Turner went down with a hamstring injury in the middle of May, though, which kept him out of action for almost a month.
When he returned though he continued his strong production, as through the All-Star break he carried a .377/.473/.582 slashline with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs.
Turner was originally snubbed from making the All-Star team, but he was a candidate for the National League Final Vote and in record-breaking fashion earned his first career All-Star nomination.
Turner’s production dipped a bit in the second half, although that was expected as batting .377 on the season was not likely to happen. Turner still finished the season with the third-best batting averaging in the NL, hitting .322/.415/.530 with 21 home runs and 71 RBIs.
In addition to his play on the field, Turner developed into the team’s biggest leader in the clubhouse. The 33-year-old followed up his strong regular season with an even better postseason, as he hit .462 in the NL Division Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
That was followed by Turner batting .333 in the NL Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs, earning NLCS Co-MVP honors along with Chris Taylor.
Turner struggled against the Houston Astros in the World Series, but the postseason he had will still be memorable for many years to come.
2017 Highlight:
It’s not every day that you earn a spot on a list in Dodgers history that only includes one other name, but Turner did exactly that in Game 2 of the NLCS.
With two outs and two on with the game tied at one in the bottom of the ninth inning, Turner stepped to the plate against veteran John Lackey.
One the second pitch of the at-bat, Turner launched a fastball into the bleachers in center field for a walk-off home run, joining Kirk Gibson as the only Dodgers to hit walk-off home runs in the postseason franchise history.
2018 Outlook:
Turner still has three years left on his contract, so he will head into 2018 once again as the team’s third baseman and No. 3 hitter. He will provide the Dodgers veteran leadership and postseason experience as they will look to return to and win their first World Series since 1988.
