Dodgers: Justin Turner Nominated for Arguably the League’s Best Award
The good news just keeps on coming for the Dodgers lately. After winning a series over the rival Diamondbacks and temporarily taking first place this weekend, they received some more good news. Justin Turner was on the receiving end of player of the month award. More importantly, JT will be the Dodgers nomination for the Roberto Clemente award.
Justin Turner was named #Dodgers nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, the most prominent player award from MLB. It recognizes a player who best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy & positive contributions, on/off field.
— AlaNNa Rizzo (@alannarizzo) September 4, 2018
The Roberto Clemente award, named after the humanitarian and hall of fame outfielder, reminds us that baseball is more than a game. The award recognizes efforts made by players off of the field. Players who consistently demonstrate upstanding character and are heavily involved in their community. Justin Turner certainly represents that for Los Angeles, though there are plenty players on the team who could be chosen.
The Justin Turner Foundation was founded in 2016 with the goal of supporting members of the Los Angeles community. This includes the homeless, veterans, at-risk families, and a few baseball organizations. The foundation’s website notes that they also partner with four other foundations aimed at creating a better community in Los Angeles.
The Clemente Award in Los Angeles
The last Dodgers player to win the prestigious award was back in 2012. That was when Clayton Kershaw took home the honors, a guy we all know is still heavily involved in serving the community. The only other Dodger to win it was Steve Garvey back in 1981. The award came into existence back in 1971, when the award was originally called the Commissioner’s Award. The name came when Clemente’s plane crashed en route to Nicaragua where he was delivering supplies following an earthquake.
