Why 40-year-old Turner has been key to Cubs' success

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. With Jordan off this week, MLB.com’s Justin Morris is handling this edition. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

It’s not quite the LeBron James effect, but at 40 years old, Justin Turner is finding a way to impact winning baseball in a major way.

That’s in large part because he’s won before.

He has a World Series ring -- adding the hardware to his trophy case in the 2020 season. He’s an NLCS MVP, winning the award in 2017. He’s a two-time All-Star. He finished in the top 15 in MVP voting in three consecutive seasons (2016-18), and, in 2022, took home MLB’s Roberto Clemente Award.

While Turner’s production is not at the Most Valuable level it was in the late 2010s, he’s still capable of producing big-time moments. Just take his walk-off double against Miami on May 13, when he slapped a slider down the left-field line to score two. The heroic hit earned Turner a postgame bath from his teammates, rife with Gatorade and differing flavors of Dubble Bubble.

But Turner had already earned something much more important from his new teammates before he landed in Chicago this year: respect.

“He’s huge,” catcher Carson Kelly said of Turner's impact. “He’s been around the game for a long time, he’s seen a lot of things. And he’s been on a lot of really good teams that have won a lot of games.

“Learning from him, asking him questions [like], ‘What makes a team really good?’ This is a really good team here, and he said it the other day: ‘It’s special, and to really cherish it and take every day, and go out and dominate.’”

Dominate they have this season. The Cubs hung 14 runs on the Marlins Tuesday night at loanDepot park, overtaking the Dodgers for the MLB lead in runs scored entering Wednesday. They notched 21 hits in the 14-1 beatdown, which tied two other games for their season high in hits.

Turner went 3-for-4 in the game -- his only out being a sacrifice fly -- bumping his average above .200 (.203) for the first time since April 13.

It’s a rare rough patch for the wily vet, who hasn’t hit below .200 in a season since he played just nine games with the Orioles and Mets in 2010. In fact, Turner hit above .275 in 11 straight seasons from 2013-23.

Still, manager Craig Counsell had nothing but positive sentiments about the infielder/designated hitter.

“[He’s] just like a baseball rat … in a good way,” Counsell said. “He loves the game. He loves to talk about the game … just [his] engagement on the bench during the game. … We've got a very engaged team … and I think he's kind of at the center of that. … It doesn't matter -- has nothing to do with how you're playing on the field. He’s struggled a little bit on the field, but off the field, it's just who he's always been, really.”

That engagement and contagious joy were evident with Turner and his teammates Tuesday. He signaled toward them with a smile after doubling in the fifth. He was greeted with high fives after his sac fly. He flashed a thumbs-up to the dugout after his second hit of the night, and grinned from ear to ear after stealing a bloop-hit single off a position player for his third knock.

“It’s been great,” Turner said of his time with Chicago. “Obviously, playing really good baseball, and it’s a really good, exciting team to play on, and it’s been fun."

For Turner, his approach to mentorship is defined with an analogy from another sport: “Just trying to not impose too much on [the young guys]. But be there if there’s questions, and help with guidance, and share experiences.

“Just like bumpers in a bowling lane,” he laughed. “Keep them going down the lane, and don’t let anyone get in the gutter.”

Turner was back in the mentorship saddle shortly after speaking with reporters, discussing pitcher pockets with top Cubs prospect Matt Shaw.

“He's had a great influence on me,” Shaw said. “We got along from the jump. He's been great, just teaching me about the ins and outs of the game. I feel like there's still so much I have to learn. And you learn quick in the big leagues … I've learned so much watching him and talking to him.”

Whether it’s being on the “first-team bus,” according to Ian Happ, or finding the “fine line” between hard work and overwork to stay healthy, Turner’s efforts are appreciated by Chicago.

And they’re appreciated even by opposing crowds, who serenaded all of his hits on Tuesday with cheers. It’s not quite a farewell tour for him yet, but Turner’s contributions are garnering deep praise from the baseball world. And they should.