There isn’t much Brian Dozier can’t do. Dozier has always been known as a solid defensive second baseman, but he is quickly becoming an outstanding all-around player.
Dozier can get on base, steal bases, and quite often Dozier is showing when he connects with a ball, he can drive it out of the yard. He can even solve a rubik’s cube in under two minutes.
That’s a big change from how his career began in Minnesota.
In 2012, Dozier was struggling to live up to the hype. He batted just .234 and hit six home runs, while failing to solidify the Twins at shortstop. He was sent down to the minors and finished the year in Triple A.
At the start of 2013, Dozier made the switch from shortstop to second base, and since that time he has blossomed into one of the best second baseman in the game.
His game has grown in every way. He is hitting .246, and his power, puts him among the elite second basemen in the league.
Sports On Earth reports that since Opening Day 2013, Dozier has now hit 30 home runs, more than any other second baseman in the majors, including Seattle’s Robinson Cano, who has 29, in that same stretch.
At 5-feet, 11-inches Dozier doesn’t exactly look the part of a power hitter, his power even snuck up on the Twins.
“No, I don’t think we all thought he’d hit 20 home runs,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire told the website. “I don’t think anybody thought that. He can drive a ball, he can turn on a ball, he can get the bat head out there. But that’s not something I envisioned.”
Dozier, who has been the Twins leadoff hitter much of the season, was recently dropped to No. 2. He responded by breaking out of a recent slump with a big night. Dozier had three hits, including a home run to help secure the win, for the Twins.
According to the Pioneer Press, the move in the lineup isn’t going to change Dozier’s approach at the plate.
“I think here lately you’ve seen, the past week or two, I’ve been swinging first pitch of the game,” Dozier told the newspaper. “I don’t think that I have to take one. Maybe I’ll swing first pitch. You never know. The first good one I see, I’ll swing.”
Dozier’s play has earned him respect all around the league. He is one of the leading vote getters for the All Star Game, amongst American League second basemen.
1500 ESPN says Dozier would be the MVP of the Twins after the first third of the season. Writer Derek Wetmore says of Dozier’s play so far:
His combination of power and walks has resulted in a .337 weighted on-base average, which is 7th among all qualified second basemen. For a month Dozier performed like a top-5 player in baseball and he’s cooled off since. Still, he looks like a solid piece of the puzzle in the Twins lineup, on the bases and in the field.
As for that defense, Dozier reminded the Yankees over the weekend with this terrific double play.
Brian Dozier makes a great stop up the middle and turns a double play in the same motion #smooth (Decided t… https://t.co/NBsmBNu372
— Baseball Nation (@BNationVines) June 3, 2014
