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Dodgers News: Justin Turner Voted Winner Of 2017 Roy Campanella Award

Matthew Moreno
2 Min Read
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Turner was voted by his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates and all uniformed personnel as the winner of the 12th annual Roy Campanella Award. It’s presented to the Dodgers player who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the late Hall of Fame catcher.

Turner will be presented with the award by Campanella’s daughter, Joni Campanella Roan, and his grandson, Cary Bell, during pregame ceremonies Tuesday night. Turner has actively worked in the Los Angeles community since joining the Dodgers organization on a Minor League contract in 2014.

Turner played his way into an everyday role for the Dodgers at third base, and this season was named to his first career All-Star Game. He shattered the record for most votes received in the Final Vote to reach the Midsummer Classic.

As for his work off the field, Turner founded the Justin Turner Foundation, which works closely with the Los Angeles Dream Center to provide for families, children and veterans in need.

“J.T. is the epitome of what we’re trying to do going forward, the type of baseball player he is, what he stands for,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Those are the guys you win with.”

Turner was a finalist last year for the Roberto Clemente Award, and was again selected as the Dodgers’ nominee this season. Turner was also nominated by his teammates last season for the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award.

While the Justin Turner Foundation focuses the bulk of its efforts in Los Angeles and surrounding communities, the foundation formed a partnership with the Yokota Baseball and Softball Association at the Yokota Air Base (YAB) in Fussa, Japan.

Former Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal received the inaugural Roy Campanella Award in 2006, and since then the honor has been awarded to Russell Martin (2007), James Loney (2008), Juan Pierre (2009), Jamey Carroll (2010), Matt Kemp (2011), A.J. Ellis (2012), Clayton Kershaw (2013-14), Zack Greinke (2015) and Chase Utley (2016).

Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com