Justin Turner named as Dodgers nominee for 2022 Roberto Clemente Award

Major League Baseball announced Thursday that Justin Turner was named the Dodger 2022 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, baseball’s most prestigious individual honor for major leaguers.

The Roberto Clemente Award presented is the annual recognition of a major league player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.

As part of the annual program, each MLB club nominates one player to be considered for the league-wide award in tribute to Clemente’s achievements and character. Turner is the Dodgers’ nominee for the fifth time in the last six years (2017-18, ’20-22).

During his time in Los Angeles, Turner has become ingrained in the community, giving his time, energy and financial support to a variety of charitable efforts including the Justin Turner Foundation (JTF), which he founded in 2016 with his wife Kourtney. The Foundation’s official mission is to support homeless veterans, children (and their families) battling life-altering illnesses and diseases and various youth baseball organizations.

Beyond his Foundation, Turner is a fixture at Dodgers and Dodgers Foundation community events, local hospitals and the Dream Center, which renamed its food bank The Justin & Kourtney Turner Food Bank in his honor. A full synopsis of Justin’s commitment to the Los Angeles community can be found at MLB.com/Clemente21.

”I’m grateful to once again represent the Dodgers as the Roberto Clemente Award nominee,” said Turner. “There are many honors that come with being a Major League Baseball player, but there is nothing that makes me more proud than representing Roberto’s No. 21 and trying to follow in his philanthropic footsteps. The Justin Turner Foundation doesn’t work for recognition, but receiving this distinction reassures us that our relationship with the community is on the right track.”

Links

• Zach Crizer writes about how the Dodgers have built baseball’s best pitching staff even when their stars haven’t been able to stay on the field.
• Hannah Keyser thinks it’s rather simple how the Dodgers have had sustained success. Read about it right here.
• Dylan Hernandez over at the LA Times writes that if the Dodgers experience pitching problems in the postseason, Dave Roberts will receive the blame for it.
• J.P. Hoornstra writes for the O.C. Register that Joey Gallo is the rare former All-Star who embraces a bench role.