January 25, 2020

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner enters 2020 on the downside of his career. With so many great, young options at third base in fantasy baseball, the days of Turner being a must-start third baseman are coming to an end. The good news is that last season, Turner played in 135 games for the first time since 2016 and tied his career-high with 27 home runs. The bad news is that he saw his batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging all fall for the third-consecutive season. He also had a three-year high in K% (16.9) and a three-year low in BB% (9.3). Turner used to make his money on breaking balls. From 2016-2018 he batted .327 and slugged .551, but those numbers dropped in 2019. He managed a batting average of .262 and had a .397 slugging percentage versus the same types of pitches he used to dominate. These trends usually don't turn around for an injury-prone, 35-year-old, third baseman. Another factor in Turner's decline is that the Dodgers are in an excellent position because they have so many infield options. Cody Bellinger, Gavin Lux, Max Muncy, Corey Seager, and Enrique Hernandez will all be vying for playing time with Turner. With third base so deep, his declining ratios, and a team full of young talent, Justin Turner is not worth a draft spot unless he falls later than his current ADP (169) on draft day.--Euan Leith
Source: Rotoballer