Justin Turner was named the Los Angeles Dodgers’ nominee for the 2018 Roberto Clemente Award, marking a second consecutive year he’s up for the honor. Turner will be recognized in a pregame ceremony at Dodger Stadium prior to Wednesday’s game against the New York Mets.
“Being nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award is not something that I take lightly, and I’m extremely proud and honored to be included among this special group of nominees from around the league,” Turner said.
“My wife Kourtney and I realize how blessed we are to have this platform, and are determined to use it to give back to the community and fans that have been so supportive of us.”
The Roberto Clemente Award is the annual recognition of a player from each MLB club who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field. Each team nominates one player to be considered for the Roberto Clemente Award.
Turner has been active in the Los Angeles community since his first season with the Dodgers in 2014. He works closely with the Dream Center and in 2016 founded the Justin Turner Foundation. Its mission is to support homeless veterans, children and their families that battling life-altering illnesses.
Turner annually hosts the Justin Turner Golf Classic to further support the Dream Center’s Veterans Program. He was instrumental in the Dream Center opening a female veterans home on their campus in May.
Beyond his own initiatives, Turner regularly makes appearances in conjunction with the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, and at his teammate’s charitable events. With his wife Kourtney, he attended Clayton Kershaw’s Back to School Bash and helped distribute backpacks to children.
Wednesday, Sept. 5 marks the 17th annual Roberto Clemente Day, which was established by Major League Baseball to honor Clemente’s legacy and to officially acknowledge team nominees for the ward. As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and lineup cards, and a special tribute video will be played in ballparks.
The league-wide winner of the Roberto Clemente Award, who will be announced during the 2018 World Series, will be selected among the group of nominees via a blue ribbon panel.
The panel includes MLB commissioner Robert D. Manfred, representatives from MLB-affiliated networks (MLB Network, FOX Sports, ESPN and TBS) and MLB.com, as well as Vera Clemente (the late Roberto’s wife & MLB Goodwill Ambassador).
Beginning Wednesday, fans can vote for the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award online from Sept. 5 until Tuesday, Sept. 18. The winner of the fan vote will count as one vote among those cast by the blue ribbon panel. Fans are encouraged to vote by visiting mlb.com/clemente21.
