leading the way

Brian Dozier has jokingly called himself a “Grapefruit League All-Star” for the good numbers he usually hangs up in spring training. The Southern Miss product is doing it again. Dozier went 2-for-3 and belted his second home run for Minnesota on Wednesday, boosting his Grapefruit League average to .435. Dozier was an American League All-Star in 2015 and, entering his fifth MLB season, the Tupelo native has emerged as a leader for a Twins team that many expect to contend. Dozier hit 28 homers last year but batted just .236. The average may rise in 2016. Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci recently noted that Dozier, typically a pull hitter, is one of a number of players “making swing path adjustments—the counterattack to shifts” and has been going to right field frequently this spring. P.S. Some familiar names appeared in the Toronto box score on Wednesday: Ex-Mississippi State star Chad Girodo threw 1 1/3 clean innings, D.J. Davis, the 2012 first-rounder from Stone County, got an at-bat and so did Brett Wellman, son of former Mississippi Braves manager Phillip Wellman. Girodo, bidding to make the Blue Jays’ bullpen, has not allowed a run in four appearances. Davis, a top 10 prospect in the Jays’ organization, is coming off a good 2015 season in A-ball but reportedly needs to improve in some areas. The younger Wellman, who used to serve as a bullpen catcher for the M-Braves, has been in the Toronto system for three years after playing at Auburn-Montgomery. … Detroit has given Richton’s JaCoby Jones a lot of work in big league camp. In 13 games at shortstop and third base, he is batting .231 with a homer and three RBIs. A 2013 third-round pick by Pittsburgh, Jones reached Double-A last year but will start this season on suspension for a failed drug test last fall (see previous posts).