Justin Turner, Third Base, Boston Red Sox


Date of Birth: 11/23/1984
Birthplace: Long Beach, California
College: California State University, Fullerton

Justin Turner, third baseman for the Boston Red Sox, was first drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in 2006. After three years in the Reds' minor league system, they traded him to the Baltimore Orioles in December, 2008. He spent most of the 2009 season in the Orioles' minor league system, joining the Orioles for 12 games that year.

After five games in 2010, the Orioles designated Turner for assignment on May 21, 2010. Four days later, he was claimed off waivers by the New York Mets. He played in just four games with the Mets, spending the rest of the season in the minors.

Turner played in 117 games with the Mets in 2011. He finished the season with 113 hits, 30 doubles, 51 RBIs, and a .260 batting average. Defensively, he played 78 games at second base, 36 games at third base, and 1 game at shortstop. The following season was a similar one for Turner. In 2012, he had a .269 batting average in 94 games and defensively he played at all four infield positions.

In 2013, Turner had 56 hits, 13 doubles, and a .280 batting average in 86 games. He again played defensively at all four infield positions.

Turner signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in February, 2014. He played in 109 games with the Dodgers in 2014, finishing with 98 hits, 21 doubles, and a .340 batting average. In postseason play, he had two at-bats with no hits in two games.

Turner and the Dodgers agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million contract on January 16, 2015. He finished the 2015 season with 113 hits, 26 doubles, 16 home runs, 60 RBIs, and a .294 batting average in 126 games. As the Dodgers' third baseman in 100 games, he made 175 assists, 18 double plays, 39 putouts, and 9 errors. He had a strong postseason, batting .526 with 10 hits, including 6 doubles, 4 RBIs, and a stolen base in 19 at-bats in 5 games.

Turner batted .275 in 151 games with the Dodgers in 2016. He finished the season with 153 hits, 34 doubles, 27 home runs, and 90 RBIs. Defensively, as the Dodgers' third baseman in 144 games, he made 240 assists, 67 putouts, and 9 errors. In the postseason, he batted .286 with 10 hits, including a triple and 2 home runs, and 8 RBIs in 35 at-bats in 11 games.

Turner signed a four-year, $64 million contract with the Dodgers on December 23, 2016. He earned his money in 2017, finishing the season with a .322 batting average, 147 hits, 32 doubles, 21 home runs, and 71 RBIs in 130 games. He had 59 walks and just 56 strikeouts. Defensively, as the Dodgers' third baseman, he made 184 assists, 69 putouts, and 8 errors in 121 games.

Turner continued to play well in the 2017 postseason, finishing with 16 hits, including 4 home runs, 14 RBIs, and a .286 batting average. He was named the National League Championship Series MVP, along with Chris Taylor. In that series, Turner batted .353 with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs. In Game 1, he hit a first inning home run and followed that with 2 more hits for a total of 5 RBIs. He continued his power hitting in Game 2, hitting a 3-run walkoff home run in the 9th inning to give the Dodgers a 4-1 win. In the World Series, he gave the Dodgers a 3-1 lead in the 6th inning of Game 1 with a two-run home run.

Turner spent time on the DL in 2018, limiting his playing time to 103 games. He played well in those games, finishing the season with 114 hits, 31 doubles, 14 home runs, 52 RBIs, 54 strikeouts to 47 walks, and a .312 batting average. Defensively, as the Dodgers' third baseman in 96 games, he made 199 assists, 57 putouts, and 10 errors. In the postseason, he batted .299 with 20 hits, 3 doubles, 1 home run, 4 RBIs, and 13 strikeouts to 7 walks in 67 at-bats in 16 games.

Turner finished the 2019 season with 139 hits, 24 doubles, 27 home runs, 67 RBIs, 88 strikeouts to 51 walks, and a .290 batting average in 135 games. Defensively, as the Dodgers' third baseman in 124 games, he made 219 assists, 67 putouts, and 8 errors. In the postseason, he had 6 hits, including 2 doubles and 2 home runs, 5 RBIs, 1 stolen base, 2 strikeouts to 1 walk, and a .286 batting average in 21 at-bats in 5 games.

Turner played in 42 games in 2020. He finished the season with 46 hits, 9 doubles, 4 home runs, 23 RBIs, 26 strikeouts to 18 walks, and a .307 batting average. Defensively, he played 32 games at third base, and he was the DH in 10 games. In the postseason, he batted .250 with 17 hits, 6 doubles, 3 home runs, and 6 RBIs in 68 at-bats in 18 games.

Turner elected free agency on October 28, 2020. He returned to the Dodgers on a new contract on February 19, 2021. He finished the 2021 season with 148 hits, 22 doubles, 27 home runs, 87 RBIs, 98 strikeouts to 61 walks, and a .278 batting average in 151 games. Defensively, as a third baseman in 143 games, he made 211 assists, 82 putouts, and 12 errors. In the postseason, he had 4 hits and 1 home run in 34 at-bats in 10 games.

Turner became a free agent on November 14, 2022. He signed with the Red Sox on January 6, 2023.

Career batting statistics for Turner through 2021 include:

  • 1,265 games played
  • 1,177 hits
  • 256 doubles
  • 151 home runs
  • 582 RBIs
  • 681 strikeouts to 412 walks
  • .290 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Turner as a third baseman through 2021 include:

  • 897 games
  • 1,478 assists
  • 463 putouts
  • 70 errors
  • .965 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Justin Turner
ESPN - Justin Turner