Minnesota Twins: Brian Dozier announces his retirement

Brian Dozier was one of the better players on the Minnesota Twins for most of the last decade. During a relatively down period for the franchise, Dozier emerged as a star, one of the top second basemen in baseball. However, a knee injury hindered his career in the midst of his prime, as he never truly seemed to recover.

On Thursday, as Dozier faced an offseason without an offer, he decided to hang up his cleats for good, ending his nine year major league career.

Brian Dozier an important piece for Minnesota Twins

Dozier had a great deal of success during his time with the Twins. He was an All Star in 2015, and won a Gold Glove in 2017. From 2013 through 2018, Dozier reached double digits in both homers and stolen bases, making him a fantasy baseball darling at the keystone.

He also managed to find postseason success, albeit with a different team. Dozier was the primary second baseman for the Nationals in 2019, although he lost playing time late in the season. Despite just seven plate appearances during their run, Dozier was part of their World Series winning team.

That was not the end of his career. Although he was reasonably solid in 2019, he had to settle for a minor league deal with the Padres before being released. Eventually, he found his way to the Mets, where his major league career ended with two hits and a walk in 16 plate appearances.

Overall, Dozier had a solid career. He posted a .244/.325/.441 batting line in his 4900 plate appearances, hitting 192 homers and 231 doubles while stealing 105 bases. Although he won that Gold Glove award, Dozier was a bat first infielder, as he cost teams 31 runs at second over the course of his career.

Brian Dozier was one of the bright spots in a darker time for the Minnesota Twins. Now, after nine seasons in the majors, he is calling it a career.