Dodgers: Is Justin Turner Already a Dodger Legend?

The Dodgers are an organization with a rich history and a ton of baseball legends.  Is Justin Turner already one of those Dodger legends?

The idea for this article came from a poll by Dodgers Way reader Chris Pineda, who tweeted the question if Justin Turner is already a Dodger legend?  The question is a great one, and for a team, as storied as the Dodgers it is a very fair question to ask.  Justin Turner has done a lot for the Dodgers in their two World Series runs, but has he done enough to be considered a Dodger legend?

Two of the Dodgers’ biggest postseason home runs since Kirk Gibson took Dennis Eckersley deep, have come off the bat of Justin Turner.  The first one was the walk-off home run in game two of the 2017 NLCS that put the Dodgers up two games to none and helped take a commanding lead in that series.  The other was his go-ahead home run also in game two, of the 2018 NLCS.

The Milwaukee Brewers had turned the game over to their “dominant” bullpen and had the Dodgers on the brink of going down two games to zero.  While the Dodgers certainly could have overcome a 2-0 series deficit, the odds would have been against it.  In a seven game series that was closely contested, the 2018 Dodgers do not make a second straight World Series appearance without Justin Turner’s late game heroics.

Outside of his memorable postseason home runs, Justin Turner has a stellar track record in October.  For his playoff career, he has a .313 average, .420 on base percentage, and a ridiculous .503 slugging percentage in the postseason.  His OPS in the playoffs is also off the charts at .923.  It makes Turner’s stats more impressive when you factor in that he is facing some of the best pitchers in the game during the playoffs and he has had no trouble doing damage.

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At one point earlier in Justin’s career, he held a .495 on-base percentage that at the time made him the all-time leader in that category passing baseball legends Lou Gehrig (.483) and Babe Ruth (.470).  While his postseason OBP currently stands at .420, Turner should get plenty of opportunities to increase that and get it closer to the two Yankee greats yet again.

Justin Turner has had a memorable time in Dodger blue.  The so cal native has worked himself from a good backup infielder to one of the best third basemen in baseball.  While Turner and the Dodgers have not yet captured that elusive World Series title, he has done more than enough to be considered a Dodger legend, especially for the current generation of fans who were not alive for the Kirk Gibson home run and World Series title.

The Dodgers have Turner under contract through the 2020 season so hopefully, the Dodgers get Turner a ring before his contract ends.  While nobody remembers who lost the World Series, for the Dodgers, Justin Turner has been legendary in the postseason and provided big home run after big home run in a Kirk Gibson-esque way.  Justin Turner is already a Dodger legend and if he can help the Dodgers win their first World Series since 1988 then it will become a foregone conclusion.