(670 The Score) Cubs veteran Justin Turner is a two-time All-Star, a World Series champion with the Dodgers in 2020 and an accomplished big leaguer who's now in his 17th MLB season.
Despite what Turner has accomplished, he has played a small reserve role with the Cubs this season. The 40-year-old Turner has played in 58 games and had 148 plate appearances thus far, but that’s what he signed up for on a one-year deal with the Cubs.
Turner understood that he would primarily serve as a bench player in Chicago, and he has embraced that with lofty goals in mind.
“I wanted to come somewhere where we were going to have a chance to win a championship,” Turner told the Rahimi & Harris Show on Monday. “And I want to win a championship, and I knew this place was going to be special. I’ve played against them for a long time, I've seen what they had, I had seen what they had done in the offseason. So, it was something that I wanted to be a part of. No matter what the role was, I was going to embrace it, I’m going to be as prepared as possible to do everything I can to help us win ballgames.
“Whether that’s cheering guys on, whether that’s having conversations, whether that’s pinch-hitting or playing first to give some guys off, coming in late in the games or in blowouts to play third, it doesn’t matter what it is. The goal at the end of the day is to win a championship. I feel pretty good about our chances here in Chicago.”
Turner delivered a pinch-hit walk-off two-run home run in the Cubs' 5-3 win over the Orioles on Sunday at Wrigley Field, coming off the bench in the bottom of the ninth inning and putting the first pitch he saw into the bleachers.
It was a great moment for Turner personally, who's hitting just .217 on the season. But the Cubs have lauded Turner’s veteran presence as part of what he brings to the team each day.
For Turner, that type of role comes naturally.
“You hear about what makes great players great, and everyone talks about great players make everyone else around them better,” Turner said. “And that was something – it always sat with me. Great players always make everyone around them better. That’s something I take a lot of pride in. I love talking, investing and working with guys.
“Once the back of my baseball card kept getting bigger and better and more stats on it, obviously, it’s easier to have those conversations with guys. And everything I’ve experienced in my career; I’ve gone through just about everything – I've been a 25th man, I’ve been traded, I’ve been designated for assignment, I’ve been non-tendered, I’ve been a role player, I've been an All-Star, won a championship, starter every day. So, I feel like I have a pretty good idea of how to relate with just about everyone on the roster because I've been through just about everything that everyone is going to go through.
“I do care more about everyone in the room than I do myself. Obviously, I want to do well. But I think that if everyone is reaching their potential and having success, then that’s going to help us achieve the ultimate goal, and that’s winning a championship.”