LOS ANGELES — Justin Turner on Monday was named the Roberto Clemente Award winner for 2022, with the Dodgers third baseman at Residents Financial institution Park in Philadelphia to be honored on the sphere earlier than Sport 3 of the World Collection.
The Clemente Award honors yearly the foremost league participant who “finest represents the sport of baseball by way of extraordinary character, neighborhood involvement, philanthropy, and constructive contributions, each on and off the sphere.” Each crew has one nominee for the award annually. Turner was additionally the Dodgers nominee for the award in 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021.
“With the way in which our season ended and the way all the things went, this award was in all probability as far-off from being on our thoughts as it will possibly get,” Turner mentioned. “After we obtained the telephone name informing us, it was fairly a shock, and clearly very thrilling information for us, being nominated for 5 years.”
The league-wide winner is set by a panel together with Clemente’s sons Enrique, Luis and Roberto Jr., MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, former MLB gamers and Clemente Award winners, plus reporters from MLB Community, FOX Sports activities, ESPN, TBS and MLB.com.
Additionally a part of the choice course of is fan voting, with Turner receiving essentially the most votes this yr among the many 30 nominees.
Turner was honored for his philanthropic work in and round Los Angeles throughout his 9 years with the Dodgers. That features beginning the Justin Turner Basis along with his spouse Kourtney in 2016, which helps homeless veterans, youngsters and households battling life-altering diseases, and youth baseball organizations. The inspiration holds an annual golf match and a 5-Ok run, and has supported numerous different occasions together with the AM 570 Veterans Day radiothon and the LA Marathon.
Justin and Kourtney Turner are on the board of trustees at Youngsters’s Hospital Los Angeles. They’ve donated over 70,000 toys and 14,000 bicycles to youngsters in and round LA. They’ve additionally been closely concerned within the Dream Heart in Los Angeles, together with having its meals financial institution named after the Turners in 2020.
“It’s not why we do it. It’s not why we’ve got our basis. It’s not why we spend as a lot time as we are able to giving again to the neighborhood,” Turner mentioned of profitable the Clemente Award. “Nevertheless it’s undoubtedly good to be acknowledged for that, and I feel it’s additionally nice for our basis and our platform to get some nationwide protection and consciousness, to hopefully assist develop it and take it to the following stage to have the ability to affect extra folks.”
Turner mentioned associating with the Dream Heart in 2016 helped put the wheels in movement to begin his personal basis. They requested him to lift cash through a golf match, which has since become the Justin Turner Golf Traditional.
“We put the match collectively in below two months and it was an enormous success. We raised a bunch of cash and obtained to open the boys’s program on the Dream Heart, and that form of set a light-weight bulb off,” Turner mentioned. “Wow, that is wonderful what our platform is able to, elevating funds to assist a trigger that’s vital to the town of LA. From that second, we have been like, ‘We wish to begin a basis.’
“We would like to have the ability to do extra occasions like this. We would like to have the ability to increase extra money and affect extra folks on a bigger scale than simply when the Dodgers requested us to go do occasions. We needed to have the ability to set them up and go do that stuff on our personal. So we didn’t have to take a seat round and wait for somebody to ask us to do these items.”
Turner’s the third Dodger to win the Clemente Award, becoming a member of first baseman Steve Garvey (1981) and pitcher Clayton Kershaw (2012). Turner cited Kershaw amongst his mentors in giving again and connecting with folks each regionally and everywhere in the world. He additionally talked about as inspiration former Mets teammates David Wright and Ike Davis — the latter Turner’s roommate with New York — plus Dodgers teammates Adrián González and Curtis Granderson.
“All these guys set an instance and child of set the bar for me to realize comparable issues off the sphere,” Turner mentioned. “In that very same sentence, I’ve at all times felt prefer it’s a duty for me to assist our youthful guys understand their platform and the way a lot of an affect they’ll have.
“Our primary aim is to assist as many individuals as we are able to, however I feel quantity two is to assist our youthful guys understand and develop and begin their foundations, and hopefully affect as many individuals.”
On the sphere in 2022, Turner hit .278/.350/.438 with 36 doubles and 13 house runs, splitting time between third base and designated hitter. His 123 wRC+ this season marked a ninth straight season with not less than a 120 wRC+ since becoming a member of his hometown crew. Amongst Dodgers with not less than 1,000 video games performed, Turner’s 133 OPS+ ranks third, trailing solely Pedro Guerrero (149 OPS+) and Duke Snider (142).
Turner is the all-time franchise postseason chief in hits (85), house runs (13), doubles (19), runs scored (43), runs batted in (42), complete bases (145), walks (38), hit by pitches (13), and video games performed (86). He turns 38 in November, and as of now his contract standing for 2023 is pending.
The Dodgers maintain a $16-million membership choice on Turner for subsequent yr, with a $2-million buyout if it isn’t exercised. By rule, all choices have to be exercised or declined inside 5 days after the World Collection ends. Turner mentioned he hasn’t had any conversations with the crew concerning his contract, describing his present standing as “in limbo” as he awaits the Dodgers’ choice.
“Every thing in my life feels prefer it has actually taken off for the reason that day I put the Dodger uniform on,” Turner mentioned. “Clearly it’s very particular to me, rising up in Southern California, attending to put on that jersey, and attending to be part of a company that has a lot historical past and as so many individuals who’ve impacted the sport in so many various methods. I’m simply attempting to do my little half.”
Whether or not Turner returns to the Dodgers or not, he and Kourtney plan to proceed the inspiration, together with after his enjoying profession ends.
“That’s one thing that can at all times be part of Kourt and I’s DNA. Clearly we don’t know what it can seem like when ultimately I’m performed enjoying, and the way occasions will come collectively and what’s going to occur on that entrance,” Turner mentioned. “However I feel it’s one thing we are going to at all times proceed and at all times be giving again and attempting to assist folks.”
