Dodgers: Justin Turner’s 2017 Season Grade

Justin Turner has proven, time and time again, that he deserves to be recognized as one of the very elite hitters throughout Major League Baseball.

After being plagued with injuries in past seasons, Turner was once again unable to play in more than 130 games in 2017, but that goes by the wayside when looking at his excellent production, when healthy. To put his 2017 year into better perspective, not only was Turner delivering every day during the regular season whether it was at the plate, or in the field, but the 32-year-old veteran was doing everything in his power to show his teammates how to get it done in the postseason as well.

After signing a four-year contract during the last offseason, Justin was able to exhibit his tools, and with a very impressive first half of the season, he was able to find his way into the All-Star Game. If making your first All-Star team is not enough after signing a new contract, Turner also carried the Los Angeles Dodgers to their first World Series appearance since 1988. Postseason baseball went very well for the third baseman, even though he did go through a fairly rough World Series at the plate.

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He was rarely cheated, even then, and he was still a key contributor for the Dodgers, regarding being present and healthy.  Dodger fans and fans of major league baseball for that matter have witnessed Justin Turner’s magnificent years as a Dodger, and his ability to be a clutch player when the spotlight is on him in big situations. Seemingly no one else has done a better job in clutch scenarios than what Justin has been able to do over years past, and certainly this year. The bearded wonder has already given a phenomenal outcome after the first year of his four-year contract with the Dodgers, and it is really without question that he will be back next year with the same mentality and approach to do everything he can to get his guy’s a win.

As for the 2018 season, there is not much of anything for Dodger fans to expect more of out of Turner, other than maybe trying to take better care of himself to avoid injury. If Turner can stay off of the disabled list, there is a very good chance that he may end up having an MVP caliber season. If there is one area that may need tweaking or improvement in Justin’s game, it would likely be directed more at his stretching preparation, which in turn could lead to less nagging injuries throughout the year that have the potential to affect him down the road.

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It would also be nice to see more power production out of Turner, of course, but then again, the top of the order will need to be on base for Justin to have more opportunities to drive in runs. On a final note, as long as Justin Turner can have a similar outlook and approach at the dish, on the field, and in the clubhouse, it will play big dividends in what the Dodgers can do as a team.  Next season hopefully the Dodgers work their way back into World Series contention, but this time, under the key leadership of Turner and other veterans, they should be able to take what they fell short of in 2017.