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Former All-Star second baseman Brian Dozier announced Thursday that he was retiring after a nine-year career in the Majors and at the age of 33.
Eighth-round pick by the Twins in 2009, Dozier was never considered a top prospect, even within his own organization, becoming the No. 10 Baseball America Twins heading into the 2012 season. not stopped the University of Southern Mississippi product from not only making it into the big leagues, but solidifying himself as one of the club’s best players of the past decade.
After a bleak start in 2012, Dozier won the second daily base job at Target Field in 2013 and steadily improved his production on set over the following years. In a brief but excellent 2013-17 peak, Dozier was one of the best second baseman of the game, hitting a .252 / .333 / .465 clip with 145 homers, 81 stolen bases and a solid defense. Along the way, he’s won a Golden Glove, is on an All-Star team, and won MVP votes in three different seasons. Dozier was worth around 22 wins over the substitution during that five-year span, according to the Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs versions of the metric.
Unfortunately for the Twins and for Dozier, he suffered a knee injury early in the 2018 campaign which seriously hampered him at home plate. He was traded to the Dodgers that summer and struggled a lot during the period – barely the platform a player would want on their first free agency trip.
Dozier landed a one-year, $ 9 million contract with the Nationals that winter and was the club’s second baseman for most of the year. In many ways, Dozier profited from a rebound campaign, posting an exit of .238 / .340 / .430 with 20 homers and 20 doubles. His playing time waned at the end of the year, however, due to a hard-hitting business acquisition. Asdrubal Cabrera saw more and more playing time at second base. Dozier retained his place in the Nationals’ playoff list and was hailed as a vital presence in the clubhouse, but he only had seven home plate appearances in the club’s World Series.
Dozier signed a minor league contract with the Padres ahead of the 2020 season before seeking his release and showing up for a brief seven-game stint with the Mets. It turned out to be the last act of Dozier’s career.
In total, Dozier will retire as a career .244 / .325 / .441 hitter with 192 homers, 231 doubles, 21 triples, 105 interceptions, 664 runs scored and 581 runs conceded. He made an All-Star team, won a Golden Glove, and in his last full season won a World Series ring for his role in the Nationals’ unlikely Cinderella run. Dozier earned a salary of $ 30 million over a career Baseball-Reference pegged at 22.7 WAR and FanGraphs valued at 23.7 WAR. Best wishes to Dozier for the next chapter.
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