Justin Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers won the Roberto Clemente Award on Monday, which recognizes the involvement of baseball greats in their communities.
According to MLB.com, this honor is given to a player who “best represents the game of baseball through outstanding character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions on and off the field.”
Turner, who grew up in California, started the foundation in his name in 2016 with his wife. The goal of the organization is to help veterans living on the streets, young children suffering from serious illnesses and smaller baseball organizations.
“I think with regard to the season [des Dodgers] ended and the way everything went, that award was far from my mind, said Turner for the first league page. But it was quite a surprise and obviously very exciting news for us.”
It was the fifth nomination for Turner, who has a .278 batting average this season with 81 runs scored in 128 games. He couldn’t help his Dodgers avoid elimination against the San Diego Padres in the Division Series.