This is far and away the worst Brian Dozier has slumped to begin a season, and that’s saying something considering he’s known as a slow starter.
Look at Dozier’s numbers on June 28 each season since becoming a full-time starter in 2013. His low marks are in bold.
- 2018: .218/.298/.389 with 11 HR, 31 RBI, 45 R, 15 2B, 66 H, 32 BB
- 2017: .246/.333/.433 with 13 HR, 38 RBI, 36 R, 16 2B, 72 H, 36 BB
- 2016: .259/.341/.463 with 12 HR, 36 RBI, 39 R, 15 2B, 73 H, 28 BB
- 2015: .267/.343/.524 with 15 HR, 37 RBI, 57 R, 23 2B, 77 H, 30 BB
- 2014: .242/.356/.433 with 15 HR, 38 RBI, 60 R, 12 2B, 72 H, 50 BB
- 2013: .228/.303/.371 with 7 HR, 26 RBI, 30 R, 7 2B, 51 H, 23 BB
It’s by far his worst batting average and on-base percentage, and his homers, RBI and hits are all the lowest they’ve been at this point in the season since 2013.
Dozier, set to become a free agent after the season, isn’t just failing to live up to expectations as one of the Twins’ best bats, he’s also hurting the Twins in terms of trade value.
Minnesota’s playoff chances are dwindling, and with that it makes sense to deal Dozier before the July 31 trade deadline instead of playing out the season and losing him for nothing in free agency.
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The worst part about Dozier’s situation is that he’s usually busted out of his early-season slump by now. On June 8 last season, Dozier was hitting .237 with nine homers and 24 RBI and then went nuts over the final three and a half months, helping fuel the Twins to a wild card berth.
In 2016, Dozier was hitting .206 with six homers and 22 RBI on June 5 and then proceeded to hit close to .400 the rest of June, going on an incredible tear with 34 homers in the final 89 games.
Dozier is actually getting worse as this season goes. He hit .240 in April, .218 in May and so far in June he’s batting .182.
The best-case scenario at this point is Dozier getting hot and the Twins dealing him for a solid prospect or two within the next month. Worst case is that he continues slumping and the Twins have to give him away for next to nothing.
Miguel Sano got sent down with a .203 batting average, mind you.
