Minnesota Twins: Brian Dozier heating up in time for MLB Trade Deadline

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JULY 11: Brian Dozier #2 of the Minnesota Twins fields the ball hit by Adalberto Mondesi #27 of the Kansas City Royals at second base during the second inning of the game on July 11, 2018 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mondesi was out at first base on the play. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Coming into this season, Minnesota Twins second baseman Brian Dozier seemed primed to have a big free agent payday after the season. After slumping badly for the first 2 1/2 months of the year, he’s turned things around.

The Minnesota Twins made the American League playoffs in 2017 in a whirlwind manner, using a big second half from their roster to get to the second Wild Card playoff spot. Second baseman Brian Dozier was certainly part of that push, hitting .271/.359/.498 on the season with 34 home runs and 16 stolen bases, but seeing those numbers tick up to .304/.394/.591 with 21 home runs in the second half of the season.

With a 2018-2019 free agent market that has been billed as historic being deep in middle-of-the-order hitters that play the outfield or corner infield, Dozier stood out as a player that could capitalize due to his comfort batting at the top of the order and his work at second base. Some even mentioned the possibility of Dozier being a potential 9-figure deal this offseason.

While the Minnesota Twins struggled out of the gate, Brian Dozier initially had a strong start to the 2018 season, hitting .300 as late as the 23rd of April, when he was slashing .307/.373/.520. However, from that day through mid-June (June 19th to be exact), Dozier hit .184/.270/.333 as the Minnesota Twins backed up significantly in the divisional race, taking themselves out of likely playoff contention.

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That meant that Dozier could become a prime MLB trade deadline target, except that he was playing so poorly that the Twins would have a tough time getting anything for him, and with a level of desire to re-sign Dozier in the offseason, he’d not likely be moved for less than a significant trade package.

A few different things began to turn things around for Dozier. First, he was moved out of the leadoff spot, a position that he held for the past few seasons in Minnesota. Instead, he was placed into a run-producing position in the middle of the lineup. Second, Dozier began to focus heavily on pulling the baseball, something that had led to his big second half of 2016 that resulted in 43 home runs.

From that low point on June 19th, Brian Dozier is hitting .272/.372/.531 with 5 home runs in just 94 plate appearances. His walk rate has gone through the roof, at a 13.9% rate, when he was at a sub-10% rate all season before this recent run. His season numbers are still rough, sitting at .229/.314/.419 with 15 home runs, but the recent excellent play, Dozier should be able to generate some trade interest.

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Of course, the Minnesota Twins have taken the cue of their emotional leader and are in the midst of winning 7 of their last 8 during a recent homestand (granted, against the Orioles, Royals, and Rays, but still). If the team feels they’ve done enough to compete in the second half of the season, his trade value will be moot, but the last month or so has significantly improved what Brian Dozier could fetch on the market.

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