As we have been force-fed over the past six weeks, spring training games don’t count; that is unless you happen to be a guy named Chris Taylor or Julio Urias or Bobby Wilson, or any of the other guys who were sent down to Triple-A for (apparently) not doing well enough to make the Dodgers Opening Day roster, although this is certainly subject to debate. But over those same six weeks, we have seen several Dodger players do exceptionally well at the plate, especially in the power department.

It certainly should come as a surprise to no one that guys like Joc Pederson (6) or Yasiel Puig (3) would be right up there for the team lead in home runs during the spring. Heck, even 38-year-old Chase Utley hit a pair of home runs. But what is a surprise and what may be the cold, hard fact that Father Time eventually catches up with all of us (save for Utley) is that the guy who has been right up there in home runs for nearly every one of his 13 MLB seasons – Adrian Gonzalez – hit exactly zero home runs this spring.

Now granted, the soon-to-be (on May 8) 35-year-old veteran first baseman dealt with inflammation in his right elbow which kept him out of action at the beginning of spring, and he also missed more than a week while away for the World Baseball Classic, but the Dodgers’ unofficial team captain still managed to get in 31 spring training at-bats, during which you would certainly expect him to hit at least one home run. And while it’s probably safe to say that that AGon will eventually be just fine and will probably end up somewhere near his career average of 28 home runs per season come October, his spring training slash-line of .226 / .314 / .258 with an OPS of .572 is about as non-AGon-like as you will ever see. (Note: Corey Seager also had no home runs this spring, but he also had only eight official at-bats due to an oblique issue).

But the one guy who is often overlooked as a traditional textbook power-hitter and who could very well be at the top of the heap in home runs come October is 32-year-old Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner, who slugged his fifth home run on Saturday night to finished spring training with five home runs, only one behind Joc Pederson (who also homered in Saturday’s spring training finale) for the team lead.

Justin Turner is absolutely locked in right now.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Over his eight major league seasons, Turner has averaged 13 home runs per year. However, and this is big, he finish the 2016 season with 27 dingers, which tied him with switch-hitting Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal for the team lead. And you don’t have to be a Gus Lobel to know that the 2006 seventh-round draft pick (out of Cal State Fullerton by the Reds) and Long Beach, CA native and lifelong Dodger fan has been absolutely locked in this spring.

“Things are feeling pretty good right now,” said Turner, during a recent interview with SportsNet LA’s Alanna Rizzo. “It’s not always about results. It’s about how you’re seeing the ball, types of swings you’re taking on pitches, and sometimes you’re working on sitting on pitches in certain situations. Right now, everything feels pretty good.”

Turner finished the 38 so-called “meaningless games” with a slash-line of .418 / .484 / .764 for an absolutely insane OPS of 1.248. In addition to his five spring training home runs, he also hit four doubles, drove in 18 runs, drew six walks and struck out (wait for it…) only once in his 55 spring training at-bats.

Pretty good indeed.