Justin Turner

Justin Matthew Turner (born November 23, 1984) is an American professional baseball infielder and designated hitter who is a free agent.

He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners.

Nicknamed "Red" for his beard, Turner played college baseball for the Cal State Fullerton Titans.

[1] He was selected in the seventh round of the 2006 MLB draft by the Cincinnati Reds, and made his major league debut in 2009 with Baltimore.

With the Dodgers, Turner was an All-Star in 2017, and won the 2017 National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award.

[4] Turner attended Mayfair High School in Lakewood, California, earning three-time All-Suburban first-team honors as a shortstop and second baseman.

He attended California State University, Fullerton, where he majored in kinesiology and played college baseball for the Titans.

[4] The next year, Cal State Fullerton won a two-game final over Texas in the 2004 College World Series.

He was selected in the seventh round (204th overall) of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft by the Cincinnati Reds, receiving a $50,000 bonus upon signing with the organization.

[7][8] Turner reported to the Reds' Rookie League affiliate, the Billings Mustangs, where he saw time at all four infield positions and in the outfield, finishing the season with a team-leading .338 batting average and a .921 OPS.

[9] On December 9, 2008, during the Winter Meetings, Turner was traded, along with utility player Ryan Freel and infielder Brandon Waring to the Baltimore Orioles, in return for catcher Ramón Hernández.

[8] He made his major league debut that day at Fenway Park, pinch hitting for Melvin Mora and finishing the game at third base.

However, on April 12, 2010, the Orioles placed starting second baseman Brian Roberts on the 15-day injured list and recalled Turner from Norfolk.

[13] Following his release from the Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers bench coach Tim Wallach saw Turner hitting at a Cal State Fullerton alumni game.

[28] Turner started the 2017 season batting .379 before going on the injured list with a strained right hamstring, which kept him out of action from May 18 through June 9.

[13] In the 2017 NLDS, he had six hits in 13 at-bats (.462 average), including a winning home run in the ninth inning of Game 2 against the Chicago Cubs.

[13] Turner and Chris Taylor were selected as the co-MVPs of the 2017 National League Championship Series,[31] where he batted .333 with two home runs and seven RBI.

[13] Turner broke Dusty Baker's franchise record for most RBI in a single post-season when he drove in his 14th run in Game One of the World Series.

On Opening Day, Turner was hit with a pitch for the 73rd time as a Dodger, tying the franchise record set by Zack Wheat.

[13] In the third game of the 2020 National League Division Series, Turner moved past Steve Garvey for the most playoff hits in Dodgers franchise history with his 64th.

In the 2020 World Series, against the Tampa Bay Rays, Turner had eight hits (including two home runs) in 25 at-bats as the Dodgers won the championship.

[48] On August 29, 2021, Turner made his pitching debut in the ninth inning of the Dodgers' 5–0 loss to the Colorado Rockies.

[13] Turner struggled in the postseason, with only four hits in 38 at-bats (one home run) in the Wild Card, NLDS and NLCS.

Turner with the 2011 New York Mets
Turner before Game 5 of the 2016 National League Division Series