ATTENTION OVERDUE FOR DOZIER
All-Star at last, he’s catalyst for surprising Twins
signed to a four-year, $20 million contract that bought out his arbitration years.
Dozier is making $2 million this year, $3 million in 2016, $6 million in 2017 and $9 million in 2018. He would be eligible for free agency after that, but Dozier adamantly says he wants to be a career-long Twin.
Twins general manager Terry Ryan loves Dozier’s character and durability. Dozier is deeply religious and has done offseason missionary work in Central America. He also played 156 games last season and missed one of the Twins’ first 92 games this season.
“He has character. He’s a good man. He’s good in the clubhouse,” Ryan said. “People follow him. We wouldn’t extend this type of dollar figure and security to a guy that we don’t trust. We trust him, on and off the field.
“He’s out there, and he’s available. That also is an issue when you start extending people. You don’t want part-time guys or guys with a history of injuries. He plays. When you get a guy that goes up there 700 times, there’s no doubt that’s a pretty good definition of an everyday guy.” on our team that way,” Perkins said. “He does everything. He gets on base. He hit home runs. He steals bases. He plays good defense.
“He’s a heck of a player, one of the best in the league, and I think the rest of the country is just catching on.”
Dozier. also has helped the Twins become one of the big leagues’ surprises. They entered the week with a 50-42 record, putting them six games behind the Royals in the AL Central race but 31⁄ games ahead of the field
2 in the wild-card race.
“My first three years were just brutal,” Dozier said. “Even though it was nice to be in the major leagues and have some individual success, it was hard to lose as much as we lost. The game is a lot more fun to play when you’re winning. We’re finding that out this season.
“It has been a blast so far, and I think we’re all looking forward to being in position to where we are playing meaningful games in September.”
Dozier has played a big hand in the Twins contending for the first time since 2010, when they won their sixth division title in a nineyear span. Ownership acknowledged Dozier’s importance in spring training when he was Dozier could play shortstop at the major league level. He was switched to second base before the start of the 2013 season.
The Twins also struggled in each of Dozier’s first three seasons, losing 96 games twice and 92 games last year.
“It’s hard to for anyone to notice you when you’re never on (national) TV,” Twins closer Glen Perkins said.
But even in this age of advanced metrics, Dozier’s low batting average likely influences the perception of him. His career batting average was .245 entering the week, even though his on-base percentage was .320 and his slugging percentage was .421.
“I’m not big into sabermetrics, but I know enough about it — and I think a lot of other people do, too, now — to understand that you can’t place value on a hitter strictly by his batting average,” Dozier said. “I know it’s the statistic they put on the scoreboard in every ballpark and it’s on the back of your baseball card, but I don’t think it tells the full story.”
It certainly does not in Dozier’s case. Like Hunter, Perkins also says Dozier has been the Twins’ MVP this season.
“Batting average is the most overrated statistic in baseball, and you can’t measure Brian’s impact Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas.
Dozier finally was added to the AL team as an injury substitute when Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista opted out of the game to receive treatment for a shoulder injury.
Dozier also had a strong case to be selected to the All-Star Game last season in his home ballpark. Instead, he had to settle for taking part in the Home Run Derby at Target Field.
When asked what was more difficult, solving Rubik’s Cube or finding a spot in the All-Star Game, Dozier smiled.
“Making the All-Star Game,” he said.
Once Dozier got to the game at Great American Ball Park, he showed he belonged. Dozier became the 14th player in the 82year history of the event to hit a home run in his first plate appearance as he connected off Pittsburgh Pirates closer Mark Melancon for a pinch-hit shot in the eighth inning.
One reason Dozier has gone relatively unnoticed since breaking into the major leagues on May 7, 2012, is that he was not a highly touted prospect. The Twins chose him the eighth round of the 2009 amateur draft, and there were questions about whether Brian Dozier is a sharp guy. Proof positive is that the Minnesota Twins second baseman solved a Rubik’s Cube during his college days at Southern Mississippi. The puzzle has been stumping people all over the world since being invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor Erno Rubik.
However, it took Dozier a long time to solve what has been the Rubik’s Cube of his baseball career — how to get anyone outside of the Twin Cities to recognize he has developed into a star during his four seasons with the Twins.
“Dozier right now is definitely our MVP,” Twins right fielder Torii Hunter said. “He’s doing everything he can to will this team to win.”
Dozier, 28, was hitting .260 with 20 home runs, 50 extra-base hits and nine stolen bases through Sunday along with a .331 on-base percentage and a .520 slugging percentage. He also led the American League with 70 runs and was tied for fourth in total bases with 186
Yet despite putting up such good numbers for a team that is a surprise contender in the AL Central, it was a struggle for Dozier to finally get selected to the All-Star Game for the first time.
Dozier lost out in his bid to be the AL’s starting second baseman to the Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve in fan balloting. In the players’ vote, Dozier finished behind the Cleveland Indians’ Jason Kipnis to be Altuve’s backup.
Dozier also did not receive one of nine roster spots selected by AL manager Ned Yost of the Kansas City Royals. Dozier got squeezed when Yost opted to pick utility man Brock Holt as the Boston Red Sox’s lone representative.
One of five players in the AL final player vote, Dozier lost out again. Despite a marketing campaign by the Twins that included stationing a bulldozer outside of Target Field on the stadium plaza with a sign “No Bull, #VoteDozier,” it wasn’t enough to overtake