Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner was selected by teammates the club’s nominee for the 2016 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award. Each team votes on one player as their nominee.
This marks the second consecutive year Turner has been nominated for the prestigious award. It’s presented annually to the player “whose on-field performance and contributions to his community most inspire others to higher levels of achievement.”
The group of 30 nominees will be trimmed down to six finalists — one from each division. That process is completed via fan voting this week. Fans can vote on MLBPlayers.com through 9 p.m. PT on Sunday.
The six finalists will appear on the ballot Sept. 20, when all Major Leaguers vote to select winners of the Players Choice Awards.
When A.J. Ellis was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies last month, the veteran catcher emphatically referred to Turner the Dodgers’ leader in the clubhouse.
For as much as Turner has meant to the team, his contributions in the Los Angeles community over the past three years can’t be understated.
Turner regularly works alongside the Los Angeles Dream Center to visit local hospitals, participate in a Christmas toy drive, host guests at Dodger Stadium, and more. Earlier this year he staged the first annual Justin Turner Golf Classic to benefit homeless veterans.
Clayton Kershaw won the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award in 2014, and is the Dodgers’ lone recipient through the award’s first 19 years.
