Brian Dozier
| Brian Dozier | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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Dozier with the Minnesota Twins in 2015 | |||
| Minnesota Twins – No. 2 | |||
| Second baseman | |||
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Born: May 15, 1987 Tupelo, Mississippi | |||
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| MLB debut | |||
| May 7, 2012, for the Minnesota Twins | |||
| MLB statistics (through 2016 season) | |||
| Batting average | .246 | ||
| Home runs | 117 | ||
| Runs batted in | 346 | ||
| Stolen bases | 74 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
James Brian Dozier (/ˈdoʊʒər/;born May 15, 1987) is an American professional baseball second baseman for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB).
High school career
Dozier played baseball for Itawamba Agricultural High School located in Fulton, Mississippi. There he became a local star, it being a town of 4,000.[1] In baseball, he was selected All-State for two years and named "Player of the Year" in north Mississippi. He also received varsity letters in football, golf, and basketball. While playing in high school, he also played for American Legion Baseball's Post 49’s Tupelo 49ers from 2002-2005.[2]
College career
Dozier played baseball for the University of Southern Mississippi, located in Hattiesburg, from 2006-2009. As a freshman, he was named a Freshman All-American and selected to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team.[2] In 224 career games at Southern Miss, he hit .355 with 55 doubles, seven triples, 16 home runs and 152 runs batted in. He was a member of the Southern Miss team that went to the College World Series in 2009.[3]
Professional career
The Minnesota Twins selected Dozier in the eighth round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. While playing in the Minor Leagues, he was chosen as the Twins Minor League Player of the Year in 2011.[3] The Twins invited Dozier to spring training in 2012. Dozier was called up in May 2012 to replace Justin Morneau.[3] On May 13, 2012, Dozier hit his first career Major League home run off Ricky Romero of the Toronto Blue Jays.[4]
On April 30, 2014, Dozier surpassed Hall of Famer Paul Molitor's Twins franchise record of 25 Runs Scored in the month of April, a club record that had stood for 18 years.[5]
Dozier was not in the 2014 All-Star Game,[6] however he was selected by American League captain Jose Bautista to participate in the 2014 Home Run Derby.[7]
On August 20, 2014 Dozier became the first second basemen in Twins history and 13th in MLB history to record a "20/20 season" (20+ homeruns and 20+ stolen bases).[8] Additionally, Dozier was the first Twins player since Torii Hunter did so in 2004.[9] At season's end, Dozier scored the second most runs in a season (112) in Minnesota's history since Chuck Knoblauch tallied 117 runs in 1997.
On July 11, 2015, he was selected as a roster replacement for Jose Bautista in the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, a day after coming in second to Mike Moustakas in the All-Star Final Vote. Entering the game in the eighth inning as a pinch hitter, Dozier cracked a solo home run off the Pittsburgh Pirates' Mark Melancon to become the 16th player to homer in his first All-Star Game at-bat. On October 29, 2015, Brian Dozier was named a finalist for the 2015 American League Second Baseman (2B) Rawlings Gold Glove Award, alongside fellow second baseman: Astros Jose Altuve and Tigers Ian Kinsler.[10]
On September 12, 2016, Dozier became the first American League second baseman to hit 40 home runs in a season with a 3rd inning shot against Daniel Norris of the Detroit Tigers.
Dozier finished the season with 42 home runs, becoming one of the most historic second basemen in MLB history.
Personal life
Dozier is married to Renee Dozier.[11]
Dozier is a Christian. Dozier has spoken about his faith saying, "I tell all the time, I'm a Christian just playing baseball on the side. That's what I stand for...".[12] In November 2013, Dozier went with the mission group Amigos for Christ to Nicaragua for a week. While on the trip, Dozier helped dig a new clean water system for a small community and helped deliver a cow and a pig to the community for food.[13]
References
- ↑ "Minnesota Twins: Brian Dozier blends people skills with strong baseball background". TwinCities.com. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
- 1 2 "Brian Dozier Bio - SOUTHERNMISS.COM - The Southern Miss Golden Eagles Official Athletic Site". southernmiss.com. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Brian Dozier Promoted to Minnesota Twins - SOUTHERNMISS.COM - The Southern Miss Golden Eagles Official Athletic Site". southernmiss.com. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
- ↑ "Diamond's gem earns split with Jays". mlb.com. May 13, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
- ↑ "For single seasons, From 1914 to 2014, Franchise: Minnesota Twins, April/March (within Months), sorted by greatest Runs Scored for this split: Results - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
- ↑ "Twinsights: Brian Dozier reflects on being passed over for All-Star Game". July 6, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
- ↑ Berardino, Mike (July 8, 2014). "Twins' Brian Dozier invited to Home Run Derby".
- ↑ "Batting Split Finder -- - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
- ↑ Bleacher Report Milestones. "Twins' Brian Dozier Records Franchise's First 20-20 Season by a Second Baseman". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
- ↑ "Gold Glove Award finalists announced". Minnesota Twins. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
- ↑ "Higher power: Faith comes first for Twins' rising Dozier".
- ↑ "Faith first for Twins' rising Dozier".
- ↑ "Tom Powers: Twins' Brian Dozier enjoys labor of love".
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Brian Dozier on Twitter
