Dodgers: Get to know All-Star third baseman Justin Turner

Commonly referred to as JT, Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner is an All-Star and a fan favorite. Let’s get to know more about him!

A California native, Turner was born on Nov. 23, 1984 in Long Beach. He attended Mayfair High School in Lakewood, CA, where he played second base and shortstop. Turner stayed in California for college, attending Cal State Fullerton, where he majored in kinesiology and played baseball.

Originally selected by the New York Yankees in the 29th round of the 2005 MLB Draft, Turner chose not to sign with them. Instead, he signed with the Cincinnati Reds after being chosen in the seventh round of the 2006 draft.

Turner was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in December 2008 and eventually made his Major League Baseball debut on September 8, 2009 against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. On May 25, 2010, he was claimed off of waivers by the New York Mets.

Following the 2013 season, Turner became a free agent and was signed by the Dodgers in February 2014 to a minor league contract, after which he was assigned to the team’s former Triple-A affiliate, the Albuquerque Isotopes. His contract was selected by the Dodgers’ big league club on March 16, 2014, and he thankfully hasn’t gone to any other organization since.

Since joining the Dodgers, Turner was named an All-Star in 2017, NLCS MVP the same year, and (finally — let’s not talk about 2017 anymore) a World Series Champion in 2020. He was also just named an All-Star for Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Coors Field in Denver.

To add to Turner’s career accomplishments to date, he just hit his first career grand slam against the D-Backs on July 10. The date is pretty fitting, I’d say, since his jersey number is No. 10!

Turner’s grand slam contributed to more Dodgers history — they became the first team to have two double grand slam games in the same season in MLB history. The 22-run game is also the most runs that the Dodgers have scored at Dodger Stadium. What a night for Turner and the Dodgers as a whole!

Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner is also a great guy off of the field.

Turner and his wife, Kourtney, have a foundation that does absolutely amazing things for the community. As the Justin Turner Foundation‘s website says:

"“In 2016, Justin and his wife Kourtney founded the Justin Turner Foundation whose mission is to support homeless veterans, children (and their families) battling life-altering illnesses and diseases and various youth baseball organizations.”"

Just recently, at the beginning of the pandemic, the Justin Turner Foundation partnered with a nonprofit called the Dream Center to provide meals to people in need within the community. They also bought the food locally to help small businesses stay afloat.

Turner has been given the honor of receiving the Roy Campanella Award twice in 2017 and 2019. The annual award is given to the Dodgers’ player “who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the late Hall of Fame catcher.”

Turner’s used to that type of recognition, though. The city of Los Angeles declared Jan. 22, Justin Turner Day back in 2019.

I could go on and on about Turner’s career thus far or the many awesome things he’s done off the field, but you get the picture. He and his wife are all-around great people who should be recognized for all that they do.

If you’d like to check the Turners out on social media (Kourtney is hilarious), their handles are @redturn2 and @court_with_a_k on Twitter and Instagram.

Dodgers: Justin Turner’s home run covers fan in cheese after epic nacho explosion

Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Justin Turner hit a home run on Wednesday night and the ball landed in a fan's box of nachos in one of the funniest moments yet.