Dickerson eager to keep positive flow going in S. F.
Alex Dickerson has spent a good chunk of his 10 years in pro baseball overcoming injuries, but now he’s coming off a solid — and healthy — season that earned him something he never previously had in his career.
A guaranteed contract.
Dickerson, 30, one of the Giants’ most productive hitters in 2020, will receive $ 2.1 million next season, giving him and his growing family a new level of comfort.
“If I had gotten to tell myself two years ago that this would be the result after two more years, I don’t think that Alex would be surprised,” Dickerson said on The Chronicle’s Giants Splash podcast, “but he would have known what it takes to
overcome that and get to this point.
“It’s a great moment for me. It’s great moment for my family and anybody else including medical staffs and doctors who supported me through those tough times.”
Granted, this is not a Mookie Betts Mike Trout Bryce Harper type of guarantee, but for Dickerson, who has suffered just about every injury — from bruises and strains to a bulging disk that required back surgery and ulnar collateral ligament tear that required Tommy John surgery — this is a welldeserved reward for extensive work on the field and in rehab.
In the final week of last season, Dickerson’s wife, Jennifer, gave birth to a son ( Levi), and Dickerson now calls fatherhood “every bit as rewarding as it is tiring.” It was the perfect way to cap his best season, notwithstanding his false positive result for coronavirus and the Giants missing the playoffs.
A platoon left fielder who mostly faces righthanders, Dickerson hit .298 with 10 home runs, a .371 onbase percentage and .576 slugging percentage in the pandemic-shortened season.
The numbers are especially impressive considering he hit just .195 in 24 games through Aug. 28 and then turned it on to hit .405 the rest of the way, over 28 games.
Amazing what health can do for a guy. Curious enough, Dickerson remained healthy despite the abbreviated training camp and limited pregame time due to COVID19 protocols. Generally, someone with an injury history would need extended time to prepare his body.
“I always say every injury I’ve ever had has been just another learning experience,” Dickerson said. “I’ve only gotten stronger and healthier from all this. You start to learn how your body moves better, how to better prepare it and where your flaws were.”
Manager Gabe Kapler, who batted Dickerson second for most of the season, commend-going ed his work especially on defense and said, “He’ll tell you there’s always development left. There’s no such thing as a finished product. He knows his body well. He knows when he’s at his healthiest and when he needs a little bit of a break. He and I have developed a really good, open communication.”
Dickerson, who had three hits including a grand slam and tworun triple in his Giants debut in June 2019, has remained a power threat. He homered with more regularity than any other Giant in 2020, averaging a homer every 15.1 atbats.
It’s not as if he engages in a training program to improve his power. In fact, he shies away from the weight room and prefers to keep his body more limber than burly.
“I’ve taken out a lot of really heavy lifting,” Dickerson said. “I’ve never seen the benefit. It’s always made me feel worse, and quite frankly, I’ve never hit the ball farther from anything I’ve ever done in the weight room.
“It’s always come from getting a little more mobility and athleticism, so I’ve almost entirely eliminated that, and COVID kind of pushed that even further this year.”
While the Giants’ offense exceeded expectations in 2020, compiling numbers not reached in several years, there’s still a need for a lefthandedhitting infielder, though Dickerson speaks highly of Jason Vosler, his teammate at Triple A El Paso in 2019.
The Giants signed Vosler, 27, last month. The former Padres prospect batted .291 with an .890 OPS for El Paso, and 19 of his 20 homers were against righthanders.
“He’s a solid player who can play a lot of positions on the infield,” Dickerson said. “He’s another guy who’s been overlooked in the grand scheme of things, and you’re to see a really good baseball player add to what we already do well.”
The front office continues to seek pitchers to bolster the rotation and provide depth in the bullpen, and Dickerson sees the Giants contending for the playoffs next year regardless. They were 2931 and fell one win shy of a playoff spot in the expanded 16team field.
The Giants played ugly baseball while opening 816 but went on a 2112 run before dropping their final three games.
“Had that season been longer, I think you would have seen even more improvement on our end with the trajectory we were on,” Dickerson said. “We had a tough schedule. We played it pretty well. There’s a lot to be extremely excited about.
“The offensive unit, 1 through 9, the whole bench. Almost everybody’s back. It’s a great group. It’s a fun lineup to hit in. There’s danger all the way up and down. There’s a lot of patience, and I do think the playoffs are a realistic goal for us.”
A key component to any postseason drive would be Dickerson, who now holds a guaranteed contract to accompany a potent bat.
“For the first time, you’re concerned just about Opening Day,” Dickerson said of the advantage of a guaranteed deal. “You’re not like, ‘ Oh, my God, I’ve got to make this team.’ You’re still going to compete like that.
“At the same time, you’re able to have a little weight taken off your shoulders and have a little bit of patience with yourself, especially in those first few weeks of spring training, just to make sure everything’s going smoothly.”