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MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Justin Turner Selected Among 20 Greatest Dragons

February 11, 2019 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Justin Turner with the Dayton Dragons in 2007
Justin Turner with the Dayton Dragons in 2007
(Dayton Dragons)

Dayton, Ohio-The Dayton Dragons today announced the next of their "20 Greatest Dragons" as part of the organization's 20th Season Celebration. Players selected on the list of 20 are being announced in random order leading up to the Dragons 20th Opening Night game on Thursday, April 4 against the Bowling Green Hot Rods.

Next on the list of the 20 Greatest Dragons is:

Justin Turner

Turner spent the 2007 season with the Dragons as the starting second baseman on one of the greatest Dayton teams in franchise history. The 2007 Dragons opened the season by winning their first nine games and their record stood at 24-5 after 29 games. They went on to win the Eastern Division First Half title. Turner's .311 batting average in 2007 still ranks as the second highest single-season average in Dragons history among players who qualified for the batting title (minimum 378 plate appearances). Turner was also selected to the Midwest League's full-season all-star team (one player per position), one of only 20 players in Dragons history to earn that distinction. Following the 2008 season, Turner was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in a deal that brought catcher Ramon Hernandez to Cincinnati.

Turner made his Major League debut with the Orioles in 2009 and moved on to the New York Mets organization midway through the 2010 season. He established himself as a full-time big league player in 2011, but his career reached a new level when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014 as he batted .340 in 109 games as a third baseman. By 2016, Turner had emerged as a star, belting 27 home runs with the Dodgers to finish ninth in the National League Most Valuable Player voting. In 2017, he played in the MLB All-Star Game and was named the MVP of the NL Championship Series as the Dodgers beat the Cubs to go on the World Series. Turner has played in 12 World Series games and has seven post-season home runs. He has finished in the top-15 in the NL MVP voting in each of the last three seasons. He has played in 937 big league games and posted a batting average of .292 over his 10-year career. He hit .312 for the Dodgers in 2018 and was a key contributor to the team's second straight appearance in the World Series.

Turner is the third player announced among the 20 Greatest Dragons. Austin Kearns and Zack Cozart were announced last week. The 20 Greatest Dragons were selected based on a media vote of Dragons television, newspaper, radio, and internet reporters. Additionally, during the 2019 season, the Dragons will be conducting a fan vote featuring one player per position to announce their all-time greatest lineup.

The Dragons will host their "20th Season Celebration Game" on Saturday, March 30 at 2:00 p.m. at Fifth Third Field. The game will match the 2019 Dragons ("Team 20") against a team of Dragons alumni who are still playing in the Cincinnati Reds minor league system.

Ticket information for the Dragons 20th Season Celebration Game: Dragons season ticket holders have received information via email. All fans can go to www.DaytonDragons.com/CelebrationGame for more ticket information and to add their name to the ticket waitlist. Single-game ticket sales for the game will begin soon.

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Images from this story

Justin Turner with the Dayton Dragons in 2007
Justin Turner with the Dayton Dragons in 2007
   



Midwest League Stories from February 11, 2019


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