Chris Sale offers a candid conversation
FORT MYERS, Fla. - In case you had any doubts, Justin Turner has pushed those aside.
Despite having not played a single regular season game in a Red Sox uniform, he has cemented himself one of the most pivotal leaders in Alex Cora's 2023 clubhouse. How? Why? Sure, it didn't hurt that just days after being socked in the cheek with a Matt Manning fastball, leading to 16 stitches and a mangled left side, Turner was hitting off a tee on his way to being ready for his middle-of-the-order duties in the Sox' lineup. But that was just the latest punctuation.
Turner's conversation could never have been put on this sort of pedestal if not for the player understanding that it's not about one moment, one speech, or even one's reputation.
Simply put, the 38-year-old gets it. And that is what is the be-all, end-all when it comes to figuring out who can help pave the way for the always treacherous seven-month Major League Baseball season.
"I don’t think there is an answer to that. It takes time," Turner told WEEIl.com when asked how one becomes a leader in an MLB clubhouse. "Coming in and developing relationships and getting to know guys. Putting in the work to be able to gain the trust of guys. That kind of helps your words carry more weight because if you’re a guy who doesn’t work hard or doesn’t do a lot of stuff but tries and be vocal in the clubhouse, that’s probably not a good recipe, which is also why I think I embrace being vocal because it helps me hold myself accountable. Making sure I’m doing all my stuff. I don’t want to be the guy telling someone they have to do something if I’m not doing it myself.
"I wasn’t going to come in here and get in front of the team and make a speech because I don’t know if I have earned that yet. It’s coming in here and meeting people and developing relationships and being myself and letting everyone in the room decide for themselves, whether they think I’m that person or not. If not for me to decide if I’m a leader. That’s not how it works in a clubhouse."
Make mistake about it, there are elements that are needed to go along with he execution.
A player needs to produce. Usually there is some sort of reputation that he carries in tow. And there has to be a few key moments that help define the designation. Turner has checked off all those boxes, with his return from that baseball-to-the-face only adding to the resume. But Turner is smart enough to know the past is the past, whether it was his nine years with the Dodgers or Sunday's baseball activities.
Much like when he made the move from the Mets to Los Angeles in 2014, the voice will continue to be a work in progress.
"It’s definitely different. Last time I walked into a new clubhouse I was a utility player who had a year or two in the league and was just trying to fit in and make my mark. From that aspect it was different," noted Turner, who identifies the likes of David Wright, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and Adrian Gonzalez as former teammates who helped him find his way.
"I’m the time of guy that every single person I meet, whether they know me or not, I introduce myself. I don’t expect people to know who I am. I don’t expect people to walk in this room and have everybody stop talking and look at me and look for me to be the next coming of Jesus Christ. That’s just not who I am. I’m going to show up. I’m going to be who I am every day. And I’m going to have conversations with guys and let everything evolve naturally. That’s the way I choose to go about it."
He added, "I don’t know what other people think, but I value it. From my perspective it’s obvious that if an organization is truly trying to win a championship what you have on paper doesn’t mean you’re going to win a championship. All the intangibles and getting guys to play together and play for the same purpose and check their egos, that’s the important part. There are a lot of things that have to go right fo ra group of 26 guys to commit to that. In my nine years with the Dodgers there was one team that was better at that than any of them and that was in 2020 and that was the year we won the World Series and that wasn’t a surprise to me."
Now he's looking for that next one.