I waited until April was over to be fair about Dozier

[Riverbrian]

I apologize because I know we've all seen this topic before but it's the turn of a new month and I still think these numbers should be screaming at someone. 

 

Since July 1, 2015 including April 2016  (The last 4 months)

 

Brian Dozier

 

At Bats 424

Hits 86

Batting Average .203

Home Runs 15

 

Looks like a less powerful Chris Carter to me. 

 

 

 

[nicksaviking]

Until Josh Willingham destroyed the left field seats at TF, Dozier was a high OBP, hit-to-all-fields hitter. I am still surprised he didn't give up his super-pull tendencies this year after his prior approach failed the second half last year.

 

I know he'll get a much longer leash, but I'm ready for Polanco, the team needs his on base skills.

[TheLeviathan]

Well presented point.  Clearly argued.  Not a small sample.

 

My god are you going to get strawmanned......good luck to you sir.  I hope you fare better than the rest of us did.

[jorgenswest]

I am not sure why pick the middle of a previous season unless some injury can be pointed to on that date that may have indicated a skill change. He happened to have a great May and June so it conveniently misses that data.

 

His talent level is somewhere in between. He will likely be close to the league average 2B as he finishes out his prime seasons and years of control with the Twins. That is a useful player but not one that should be batting at the top of the lineup.

[bluechipper]

Brian Dozier has a .197 BABIP so far this year. That should come up some eventually, but he's always been a low BABIP guy in the .260 range.

 

Can any of you recall many other "power" hitters who hit so many weak fly balls and easy grounders when they don't connect for a HR? It's basically all or nothing with Dozier.

[Primetime82]

Dozier is toast. He'll never learn to hit the other way and teams have adjusted to the only thing he does well at the plate. He hasn't exactly been good in the field this season either. Should have traded him while his value was sky high and the team wasn't competitive. Now we have a turd 2nd basemen we'll never remove from the lineup with a promising young player ready to takeover. Typical Twins though, Polanco will get his chance after 2/3 more years of pathetic ball from Dozier.

[Pardon My Dinger]

I think our April is a blessing in disguise. Out with the old, in with the World Series in 2018.

[Hrbowski]

Dozier hits way more flyballs than Chris Carter.

[Thrylos]

 

I apologize because I know we've all seen this topic before but it's the turn of a new month and I still think these numbers should be screaming at someone. 

 

Since July 1, 2015 including April 2016  (The last 4 months)

 

Brian Dozier

 

At Bats 424

Hits 86

Batting Average .203

Home Runs 15

 

Looks like a less powerful Chris Carter to me. 

 

Got to add: 

 

Lame plays at second base: 23

[bluechipper]

 

Dozier hits way more flyballs than Chris Carter.

Just this year. For their careers, Carter is at 48.9% compared to Dozier at 42.5%.

[USAFChief]

Chris Carter??

 

All Carter does is catch touchdowns.

[Winston Smith]

This team has a real hard time benching anyone with tenure or a muti-year contract no matter how bad it gets.

 

Terry said yesterday he is accountable, however he has a lifetime contract, so how is he accountable if no matter how bad things get he keeps his job?

 

See a pattern? Change is hard to come by with the Twins.

[Rosterman]

You don't keep giving a guy an extra at bat (and an out) when he is struggling as bad as Dozier. You move him down in the order until he gets his act together.

[Platoon]

I am not sure why pick the middle of a previous season unless some injury can be pointed to on that date that may have indicated a skill change. He happened to have a great May and June so it conveniently misses that data.

His talent level is somewhere in between. He will likely be close to the league average 2B as he finishes out his prime seasons and years of control with the Twins. That is a useful player but not one that should be batting at the top of the lineup.

I would imagine the middle of last year is when pitchers finally accepted what seemed like an obvious fact. You can miss anywhere in the entire batters box area with BD, and get away with it, except for one small area. Very top of the zone, and in. Everyone has a weak spot, but few have one that large. And no I don't think it's because he can't hit to the other side, he had three hits there the other day. He thinks he is a HR hitter, he likes that scene. It's kind of a shame, he could be a good player if he wanted.

[Riverbrian]

 

I am not sure why pick the middle of a previous season unless some injury can be pointed to on that date that may have indicated a skill change. He happened to have a great May and June so it conveniently misses that data.

His talent level is somewhere in between. He will likely be close to the league average 2B as he finishes out his prime seasons and years of control with the Twins. That is a useful player but not one that should be batting at the top of the lineup.

 

I chose July because it was the start of the month and on July 1st... His Batting Average was .268 and that was his high water mark. That's when the downhill clearly began. 

 

 

[Riverbrian]

 

Brian Dozier has a .197 BABIP so far this year. That should come up some eventually, but he's always been a low BABIP guy in the .260 range.

 

Can any of you recall many other "power" hitters who hit so many weak fly balls and easy grounders when they don't connect for a HR? It's basically all or nothing with Dozier.

 

His BABIP is low because he a dead pull hitter and shift stops him dead. With the shift... He has so little open green to find.

 

He hits pop ups and weak grounders because that's the only thing he can do when he tries to pull off an outside pitch. A guy like Ortiz will send an outside pitch over the CF wall. Dozier ain't that strong. 

 

Major League Pitchers who give a crap know this and will try their best to not give him the only thing he can punish. 

[Riverbrian]

 

This team has a real hard time benching anyone with tenure or a muti-year contract no matter how bad it gets.

 

 

 

This part sure seems to be the case

[jimbo92107]

Consider this batting lineup:

 

Danny Santana (S) CF
Brian Dozier (R ) 2B
Joe Mauer (L) 1B
Miguel Sano (R ) RF
Byung-ho Park (R ) DH
Oswaldo Arcia (L) LF
Eduardo Nunez (R ) 3B
Eduardo Escobar (S) SS
Kurt Suzuki (R ) C

 

Of all these guys, only Mauer, Park, Nunez and Escobar are giving professional at-bats. Santana cooled off post hammy, Dozier is clueless, Sano seems content to get lots of 3-2 counts, then do little, Arcia is stepping in the bucket, and Suzuki looks physically worn out at the beginning of the season, but he still looks better at the plate than Murphy. And this was a day that Whiffmeister Rosario started on the bench!

 

For the sake of good sanitation, bring up Polanco and bat him first, bat Esco 2nd, and bench Dozier for at least a week. Then bat Park 4th and Sano 5th for a while. Park is a far more professional hitter right now, and he's quickly figuring out MLB pitchers. 

 

If your lineup is

Polanco

Escobar / Nunez

Mauer

Park

Sano

...

 

Then you've got good hitters at the top to get on base before the power guys.

Edited May 2, 2016 by jimbo92107

[TheLeviathan]

Anyone know how to check to see how a guy is being pitched?  I'm thinking he's getting pitched up in the zone more this year but wouldn't know how to look that up. 

[Reider]

I don't have any stats to back it up, but it seems like most pitchers have been avoiding Dozier's hot zone this year (e.g. fast balls over the inside of the plate). He's been getting a lot of pitches on the outside of the plate. If he doesn't adjust and start hitting the ball hard up the middle or off field, I don't see how pitchers are going to start giving him those inside fastballs that he likes. Thus, I don't see how he gets out of his slump.

 

I do believe that Dozier is strong enough to drive the ball up the middle and off field for big hits. He won't hit as many home runs, but if he hits the ball hard up the middle and / or hits the gap/wall in right, he can still turn some of those types of hits into doubles/triples.

[HitInAPinch]

I don't remember what game it was, something like 4-5 games ago, Dozier had 3 hits to right field.  I was kinda hoping Bruno had a long talk with him.

[Shane Wahl]

Dozier should be lower in the lineup anyway. He is not a 1-2 hitter at all. Joe Mauer, FOR THE MILLIONTH TIME is the prototypical 2 hitter. If Santana is the leadoff guy now, I recommend:

Santana

Mauer

Sano

Arcia

Park

Dozier

Rosario

ANYONE WANNA CATCH

Escobar

[stringer bell]

I like Dozier, always have. He went from suspect to starter because he was able to pull effectively. He was hitless in the Detroit series after bringing his average to .220 with a nice series against Cleveland. He is striking out much less than he did last year (still quite a bit) and IMHO hitting in tough luck. From May of 2013 to June of 2015, Dozier was a top quartile offensive player, that is over two years. He been bad for just over half a year, and I do believe he was nicked late in the last season.

 

I can get behind hitting Dozier down in the order, but his 2014 was the best leadoff hitting the team has had since Denard Span.

[jokin]

 

Dozier should be lower in the lineup anyway. He is not a 1-2 hitter at all. Joe Mauer, FOR THE MILLIONTH TIME is the prototypical 2 hitter.

 

Or how about leading off? The thought even occurred to Jack Morris in the first inning today, right after they flashed the fact that Mauer is OPSing at .609 in the 1st inning.