Justin Turner backed up a surprising first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers by batting .294/.370/.491 with 16 home runs, 60 RBIs, a .371 wOBA and 141 wRC+ in a career-high 126 games in 2015.
He carried that success into the postseason, starting in every National League Division Series game against the New York Mets. In the five games, Turner went 10-for-19 with six doubles, four RBIs, two runs scored and one walk.
His 10 hits were the most by a Dodgers player in a Division Series and the most by a Dodger in any postseason series since Steve Garvey’s 10 hits in the 1981 World Series. Moreover, Turner’s six doubles set a Dodgers record for most in any postseason series.
Microfracture knee surgery last October sidelined Turner during the offseason and delayed his Spring Training debut. It can be debated whether it’s also impacted him during the regular season.
However, Turner appeared to break out of the prolonged slump over the Dodgers’ five-game road trip. He collected his first extra-base hit since April 20 and hit his first home run of the season. “Justin made a couple mechanical changes with his swing,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said when asked if he sensed his third baseman had turned the corner.
“[Turner] said he was close, and in Tampa it clicked. He’s staying above the baseball a little better and not missing pitches in the hitting zone. It was just a matter of time for JT. That little minor adjustment is big for him, and us, obviously.”
Turner went 6-for-19 with two doubles, one home run and one RBI over the five-game stretch. On the season, he’s batting .255/.347/.363 with six doubles, one triple, one home run and six RBIs in 30 games.
Last season Turner was ranked second amongst third baseman with a 138 OPS+ (minimum 400 plate appearances). He trailed only Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays in the category, and was ahead of St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter (134 OPS+), Chicago’s Kris Bryant (133) and Baltimore’s Manny Machado (131), among others.
As for third baseman with a minimum of 700 plate appearances since 2014, Turner ranked first in batting average (.314), on-base percentage (.384) and wRC+ (148), and third in slugging percentage (.492), entering 2016.
