Los Angeles Dodgers: Three things to be wary about in 2019
By Jason Reed
1. A potential regression from Justin Turner
Over the last two seasons, Justin Turner has been the most consistent bat for the Los Angeles Dodgers and has repeatedly come up in big moments and given the Dodgers a big hit when they needed it most.
Turner is one of the best success stories in the MLB and was the start of the Dodgers’ front office bringing in replacement level players and turning them into solid contributors (see: Chris Taylor, Max Muncy).
Even if Turner’s Dodger career ends with his current contract, he has earned the right to go down as one of the most beloved Dodgers of all-time and someone that left his mark on the franchise. He has done enough already to earn that.
While what he has done so far is great, there shouldn’t be concrete confidence that Turner will still be the same Justin Turner for all of 2019. After all, the only thing that is undefeated in sports is father time.
Turner will be 34 for the entire 2019 season, which is not an age to be concerned about but is the age when an athlete’s prime typically begins to end. And while he did show only very slight regression in 2018, there were moments in which Turner did not look like the same impossible out as before.
His power also was not the same, as his plate appearances per home runs dropped from 25.9 in 2017 to 30 in 2018.
There is just as good of a chance that Turner has another great year, hits .325 with 20 home runs and stays healthy for the majority of the season. However, I would at least keep the possibility of him regressing in the back of your mind as the season looms.