Dodgers: Infielders August Grade Report

Justin Turner

Turner was yet another Dodger to have a relative pedestrian August. We’ve all seen the type of hitter that J.T. can be but ever since the All-Star break; Turner has slowly been trending in the wrong direction. We knew Turner’s .377 batting average in the first half of the season was unsustainable. But the fact that he’s regressed over .100 points is concerning.

Turner is hitting .270 post the All-Star break, and if you want to read up on his struggles during the second half, you can check out an article we did last week.  During August, Turner hit .245/.313/.490 in 112 plate appearances. Although those numbers may look rather average, it’s not as bad as it appears.

Turner had the most extra base hits he’s had in a month and has continued to develop his power stroke. This past month 12 of Turner’s 23 hits were for extra bases, including 6 home runs in August. That brings his home run total up to 17 on the season but also marks the third consecutive month that he has hit 5 or more home runs in a month.

Turner was also tied for a team high 17 RBI for the month, so he continues to do his job hitting in the number 3 spot in the lineup. Although the last two weeks without Bellinger hitting behind him sunk his numbers, overall Turner had a very solid month for the Dodgers. If Turner can put together a September where he is hitting for power; and could manage to increase his average to right around .300, look out NL. Turner gets an A- for August.