Dozier

[Badsmerf]

Come on. Ripken was a great baseball player. He would have been greater with some days off. I am not sure that this is even close to being debatable. I bet Dozier didn't want any days off. Too bad.

 

I forgot to say bazinga again.

[Loosey]

I was worried about him even when he was tearing it up in the first half.  He is an extreme pull hitter especially on high pitches.  I was always confused as to why pitchers kept on pitching him high and inside when that is what he was looking for.

 

Now it seems that he isn't getting those pitches anymore and is still trying to pull what he is given even if it is an outside pitch.  Basically, he needs to learn to adjust and face reality that he really isn't a home run hitter.  I would gladly give up some HR's for a guy who can get on base a lot more.

[TheLeviathan]

 

Luckily he isn't then.  The deal he signed didn't buy out any free agent years.

 

Well, that's not totally true.  We invested in the assumption of him maintaining a high level of play through those years and I'm still not confident that's going to be true.

[nicksaviking]

 

Well, that's not totally true.  We invested in the assumption of him maintaining a high level of play through those years and I'm still not confident that's going to be true.

 

But at only 3M, 6M and 9M in the final three years, that's a relatively minor investment, particularly since there is still upside. 

 

Silver lining regarding Dozier's fall: Previuosly the front office would have never considered moving him, even if prospects behind him were tearing it up.  Now, I'd have to think not only would moving him not be out of the question should better options arise, but the team almost certainly wouldn't look to extend him unless he shows much more consistancy.

[big dog]

Someone on a recent broadcast, maybe Roy Smalley, said he was frustrated that in BP Dozier would hit line drives to all fields, but in a game everything was pulled.  So he apparently can take the ball the other way, and even practices it, but in the game it translates into short flies to center and popups to short.  Seems like a fixable problem, somehow.

[TheLeviathan]

True, the investment wasn't grand and I'm still ok with them doing it, but his erratic production is a major concern for me.

[Shane Wahl]

Well the 1st half/2nd half splits for two consecutive seasons seem to indicate something is up with how much he has been playing. He was trying to pull the ball all the time in the first half too.

[ScrapTheNickname]

 

I just did a quick search at fangraphs and apparently Brian Dozier is having the most extreme pull% in the past 10 years, at 61%. He's a flawed hitter that just isn't good at using the entire field to hit, up to this point. Teams are putting the shift on him and he's not getting pitches to pull anymore but he's still trying to pull them. 

7.5% of his hits go to right field. He has to be one of the most pull-happy batters in mlb.

[DaveW]

Hitting lead-off he had a .851 OPS this year, batting anywhere but lead-off he has a .587 OPS.

Maybe put him back to the lead-off spot?

[h2oface]

 

I wish Rosario could still play 2nd

 

I think he still could. Maybe let Dozier play second the first half of the season, and then Rosario the second. Just Kidding. Dozier is fine. And valuable. He just needs to figure out how to last the whole season instead of fading in the second half.

[DaveW]

He needs to learn how to hit the ball the opposite way once in a while.

[DaveW]

Yet another terrible game by Dozier.

 

He isn't all star caliber, he is league average. Not bad, but disappointing since we were all hoping he could actually be someone to build around, not just another "role player"

Perhaps it's time to stop giving out contracts to players that don't buy out any free agent years and just buy out arb years.

[ashbury]

He needs to learn how to hit the ball the opposite way once in a while.

Please, when you quote David Ortiz, put in quotation marks and give attribution.

[nokomismod]

I agree that they need to consider trading him this offseason. Unless he stops trying to pull everything, he will continue to trend downward. With Polanco and Rosario as options and outfield talent waiting to get into the lineup, Dozier is a perfect guy to dangle in the off season. I don't care if he's cute and that the Twins have invested time and money into marketing him as the guy (Sano and Rosario can take over that role now).

[Parker Hageman]

I'll have a breakdown on this next week but man, went from a 26% GB rate in the first half to a 46% GB rate in the second half. 

 

Not producing as well in counts in which he was aggressive in during the first half -- teams have made some adjustments. 

[DaveW]

I'll have a breakdown on this next week but man, went from a 26% GB rate in the first half to a 46% GB rate in the second half.

 

Not producing as well in counts in which he was aggressive in during the first half -- teams have made some adjustments.

That was my thought as well. Not fatigue, not luck, just teams making adjustments after his gangbusters first half.

 

At this point: dozier is a solid player who has a long career ahead of himself, IF he can make the adjustments he can be that top 5 2nd baseman we saw earlier this year and some of last year.

[DaveW]

Please, when you quote David Ortiz, put in quotation marks and give attribution.

lol

[mudcat14]

Over the past several weeks, Polanco has played exclusively at 2B for the Lookouts.  I don't know if this was simply to shore up their defense for the stretch and play-offs, or there were other motives involved.  Regardless, having only recently turned 22, he is a viable option to Dozier at 2B for 2016 and beyond.

 

Personally, I think the Twins should look to trade both Dozier & Plouffe this off-season.  Each of their individual season totals over the past three seasons have shown a remarkable consistency.  To paraphrase Denny Green, "They are who we thought they were."   MLB average, at best players.  As each sits on the threshold of 30 years of age, expecting a significant or even moderate uptick in performance is unlikely and unrealistic.  I'd much rather sink or swim with Polanco & Sano going forward, simply based on potential alone.

 

I find it sort of amusing that the board generally agrees that Hunter needs to hang it up since his percentages are at their lowest points in about 15 years.  The reality is that his numbers for the season are only slightly lower than what Dozier & Plouffe have posted in each of the past three seasons.

 

Dozier will cost $18mil over the next three seasons.  Plouffe somewhat more, due to arbitration eligibility.  The young Latinos would cost about $4mil, total.  I do suspect a multi-year deal for Sano could happen before three years elapse.  Either way, dealing the two vets frees up about $30-40mil to utilize in areas of greater need. 

 

Don't mistake this as an anti-Dozier & Plouffe diatribe.  They do have value, and should bring equally valuable assets in return.  If not the catcher we so deeply yearn for, at least some depth on the mound.  

[Danchat]

Fun fact: Dozier leads the league in "outs made".

 

Source: Baseball Reference

[jimbo92107]

Dozier has become too pull-happy, and pitchers know it. They're spotting the ball away in counts where he'd like to see something middle in or high in, and he's missing it or trying to pull outside pitches. He's also lost his plate discipline, trying too hard to get hits rather than work the count.

 

He needs to adjust, look to drive balls oppo for a few games. No homers there, but it's better than being such an easy out.

[Hrbowski]

 

Look to trade him in the offseason potentially, a team with playoff aspirations can't afford to put up with these let downs when it counts.

Yeah, lets make this team even worse, a team that wants to miss the playoffs can't have good players.

[stringer bell]

Dozier had a remarkable run of over two years where the OBP was high enough, the power was there and he ran bases and fielded very well. The hitting has unraveled, is it a slump or have teams figured him out? I think it is too soon to say. From May of '13 to the end of July this year he was among the elite. I don't consider a two-month slump something to brush off, but I don't think it is a death knell of him being a productive offensive player.

 

To the point of him pulling the ball so much, yeah, he needs to be able to rip the ball to center and right once in a while. When he hits the ball weakly, especially in the air, it seems those balls are fairly often hit to center and right. Does anyone have a chart on his outs?

[DaveW]

[DaveW]

 

Over the past several weeks, Polanco has played exclusively at 2B for the Lookouts.  I don't know if this was simply to shore up their defense for the stretch and play-offs, or there were other motives involved.  Regardless, having only recently turned 22, he is a viable option to Dozier at 2B for 2016 and beyond.

 

Personally, I think the Twins should look to trade both Dozier & Plouffe this off-season.  Each of their individual season totals over the past three seasons have shown a remarkable consistency.  To paraphrase Denny Green, "They are who we thought they were."   MLB average, at best players.  As each sits on the threshold of 30 years of age, expecting a significant or even moderate uptick in performance is unlikely and unrealistic.  I'd much rather sink or swim with Polanco & Sano going forward, simply based on potential alone.

 

I find it sort of amusing that the board generally agrees that Hunter needs to hang it up since his percentages are at their lowest points in about 15 years.  The reality is that his numbers for the season are only slightly lower than what Dozier & Plouffe have posted in each of the past three seasons.

 

Dozier will cost $18mil over the next three seasons.  Plouffe somewhat more, due to arbitration eligibility.  The young Latinos would cost about $4mil, total.  I do suspect a multi-year deal for Sano could happen before three years elapse.  Either way, dealing the two vets frees up about $30-40mil to utilize in areas of greater need. 

 

Don't mistake this as an anti-Dozier & Plouffe diatribe.  They do have value, and should bring equally valuable assets in return.  If not the catcher we so deeply yearn for, at least some depth on the mound.  

Plouffe is a no brainer to trade.

Dozier, I would only do it if the return was good: High Upside young SP, or a catcher/SS. (Move Escobar to 2nd)

[mudcat14]

 

Plouffe is a no brainer to trade.

Dozier, I would only do it if the return was good: High Upside young SP, or a catcher/SS. (Move Escobar to 2nd)

My only quibble would be to leave Escobar available if we can't upgrade SS or in a utility role.  I wouldn't hesitate to give the 2B job to Polanco and make him prove he's not up to it.  Hell, there's always Beresford if we get in a bind.