looking ahead, take 3

To use the well-worn cliché, Brian Dozier came in with a bang last season and went out with a whimper. The former Itawamba AHS and Southern Miss standout generated much fanfare when he debuted with Minnesota on May 7. But in mid-August, with his average down to .234 and his defense slipping, the Twins sent the shortstop down, where he finished the campaign. Dozier heads into spring training with a battle on his hands for the big-league shortstop job. Dozier is a .298 career hitter in the minors and he’s got more power than his rivals, Pedro Florimon and Eduardo Escobar. Both of them have good defensive skills but questionable bats. Florimon, who replaced Dozier last summer, hit .219. Escobar, acquired in the Francisco Liriano trade with the Chicago White Sox, batted .227 for the Twins in limited at-bats after hitting .207 for the ChiSox. Odds are Dozier will emerge as the regular, but he’ll be watching his back. P.S. Dozier is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at USM’s Dugout Club Banquet in Hattiesburg on Saturday.