Turner may shave signature beard if Dodgers win World Series

Justin Turner, the Los Angeles Dodgers' famously hirsute third baseman, may have a very different look next year.

Turner, a newly minted All-Star, has entertained the possibility of shaving - or at least trimming - his signature red beard if the Dodgers, now 89-35, win the World Series, reports Sports Illustrated's Stephanie Apstein.

Turner's fiancee, Kourtney Pogue, is ambivalent about her betrothed possibly ditching his trademark facial hair. Though she wants Turner looking dapper for their wedding photos, Pogue joked that getting rid of the beard could affect his swing (which has produced a National League-leading .336 batting average in 2017).

"There might be some weight to it!" Pogue said. "It might throw off his mechanics!"

For the Dodgers, who are on pace to tie the modern-era single-season wins record (116) set in 2001 by the Seattle Mariners, that hypothetical is a scary notion. Since arriving in Los Angeles ahead of the 2014 campaign, Turner - initially signed to a minor-league deal after being non-tendered by the New York Mets - has hit .305 with an .882 OPS (139 OPS+) while putting up 17.6 WAR in 484 games, the 14th-most in the majors over that span.

In December, Turner, who turns 33 in November, signed a four-year, $64-million deal with the Dodgers.