Tag Archives: Brian Dozier

16 Nov

the envelope, please

This was largely a two-horse race. Brian Dozier bolted to an early lead. Mitch Moreland started slow and was briefly sidetracked by an injury. But Dozier began to fade, as did his team. Moreland kept getting big hits, and his team surged to a division title. In the end, it was Moreland by a nose, winner of the Cool Papa Bell Award, given here to the Mississippian (native or college alum) who has the best season in the big leagues. Moreland, the former Mississippi State star from Amory, hit .278 (.330 on-base percentage) with 23 homers and 85 RBIs for Texas, which went 88-74. Moreland had five homers and 18 RBIs in September and October as the Rangers fended off Houston and Los Angeles in the American League West. Dozier, the Southern Mississippi product from Fulton, was a first-half sensation and made the All-Star Game. For the year, he scored 101 runs, belted 28 homers and drove in 77 runs. But he batted just .210 after the All-Star break and .197 in September/October as Minnesota faded from the AL wild card battle. Moreland joins a group of Cool Papa Bell honorees that includes Corey Dickerson, Desmond Jennings, Lance Lynn, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Chris Coghlan. The award honors Negro Leagues legend Cool Papa Bell, the first Mississippi native to be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

13 Aug

stirring the drink

The Minnesota Twins’ recent swoon – 8-16 since the All-Star break — probably cost Brian Dozier any chance he might have had at the American League MVP award. But the Southern Miss product is still the team’s key player, the straw that stirs their drink, as they say. He has suffered through a second-half slump, as well, but when the second baseman does things like he did on Wednesday, the Twins tend to win, which they did. Dozier got two doubles (31 for the year), scored twice (80 for the year, second in MLB) and drove in a run (59). Minnesota whipped Texas 11-1, its second straight win, and climbed over .500 at 57-56. The Twins have fallen far back in the AL Central (11 games out) but remain in the thick of the wild card chase. To make the postseason for the first time since 2010, they’ll need a strong finish from Dozier, batting .248 with a .318 on-base percentage and 24 homers. P.S. Joey Butler, the former Pascagoula High and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College star, was sent back to the minors on Wednesday, a decision Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash called “incredibly difficult.” Butler, a 29-year-old rookie outfielder, batted .278 with six homers and 22 RBIs in 74 games for the Rays. At one point in mid-June he was hitting .347. He got the opportunity to play regularly for the first time in his career when Desmond Jennings went on the disabled list in April. Itawamba CC alum Jennings is supposed to be activated on Friday. Butler likely will get back to the big leagues when rosters expand in September. … Yarmouth-Dennis won the Cape Cod League championship series with an 8-1 win against Hyannis on Wednesday night. In the opener of the three-game series on Sunday, Dakota Hudson of Mississippi State allowed one run on two hits in eight innings, finishing with eight strikeouts, as Hyannis beat Y-D 8-1. Vance Tatum, another Bulldogs pitcher toiling for Hyannis, got knocked around in Game 2 on Monday and took the loss in Y-D’s 9-3 victory. Ole Miss’ Colby Bortles had a two-run hit for Hyannis in that game.

15 Jul

exclusive company

The first list is fairly long and includes the likes of Johnny Bench, David Ortiz, David Wright, Bo Jackson, former Atlanta Braves star Javy Lopez and ex-Jackson Mets standout Lee Mazzilli. The second is shorter but no less impressive: Kirby Puckett and Harmon Killebrew. Southern Miss alum Brian Dozier put his name on both lists on Tuesday night when he homered, in his first at-bat, in the All-Star Game. Dozier went deep against Pittsburgh closer Mark Melancon in the eighth inning, helping the American League take a 6-3 victory at Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark. It was the 16th time a player has homered in his first career All-Star at-bat; the last player to do it was J.D. Drew in 2008. Dozier became the third Minnesota player to homer in the Midsummer Classic, joining Hall of Famers Puckett and Killebrew. “I might say I don’t deserve to be in that company, I can tell you that,” the ever humble Dozier told mlb.com. For the record, Dozier has 19 homers this season and 42 over the last two. … The idea of having the All-Star Game “count” seemed silly to a lot of people when it first started in 2003. But that’s changing. Listening to Ned Yost, the former Jackson Mets catcher who managed the AL squad, talk about preparing his lineup and game plan, you get a different perspective. He took this thing very seriously. “We tried to punch holes in (the game plan) every which way we could, and we worked it to perfection,” he told mlb.com after the game. Yost’s Kansas City team had home-field advantage in the 2014 World Series, and even though the Royals lost in seven games to San Francisco, he wanted to have that edge again should his team, which currently has the best record in the AL, get there this year. A change is still needed, however. If the game is going to count, fans should not be voting in the starting lineups.

11 Jul

he’s the man

Forget the All-Star Game “snub.” There may be something bigger and better in Brian Dozier’s future. How ’bout an American League MVP award? If he keeps doing stuff like he did on Friday night, such a thing is well within the realm of possibility for the former Southern Miss standout. Dozier hit a three-run, game-winning homer for Minnesota, capping a seven-run ninth inning that took down Detroit 8-6. The Twins, who haven’t sniffed a winning season since 2010, are 47-40 and very much in the AL postseason picture as the season approaches the All-Star break. Dozier, who packs a lot of wallop in a 5-foot-11, 190-pound (maybe) frame, is the primary reason for this resurgence. Friday’s homer, his second walk-off of the week, was his 19th of the season. (He hit 23 all of last year.) He leads the league in runs and the team in RBIs with a combined total of 115 in 86 games. That’s MVP stuff. And he plays a good second base, too. It would have been great to see Dozier in Tuesday’s All-Star Game. But what happens in baseball in July pales in comparison to what happens in October. No doubt that’s where Dozier’s sights are set.

10 Jul

news and notes

Even a social media boost from fellow Southern Miss alum Brett Favre couldn’t propel Brian Dozier into the MLB All-Star Game. The American League Final Vote winner was Kansas City’s Mike Moustakas, MLB announced a short time ago. Minnesota’s Dozier, second in the Final Vote among fans, fell short despite being tied for the AL lead in runs (65) and topping AL second basemen in homers (18) and RBIs (45). Jose Altuve of Houston was voted in as the starter at second base by the fans, and Cleveland’s Jason Kipnis was selected as a reserve on Monday. … Jim Davenport is the only USM product to make an MLB All-Star team. He did so in 1962 when he was with the San Francisco Giants, going 1-for-1 as a sub at third base in the first of the two games played that year. … Ex-Ole Miss pitcher Aaron Barrett has been activated from the disabled list by Washington (see previous post) and will be in the Nationals’ bullpen for tonight’s game at Baltimore. … Belhaven University officially began its membership in the American Southwest Conference on July 1 and will begin transition to NCAA Division III (non-scholarship) status on Sept. 1, according to a school release. The ASC, of which Mississippi College used to be a member, is comprised mostly of Texas schools, including UT-Tyler, UT-Dallas, Mary Hardin-Baylor and Hardin-Simmons. The Blazers, previously an NAIA member, played baseball in the Southern States Athletic Conference from 2010-15 and in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference for many years before that. Hopefully, the Blazers will continue their long-standing rivalry with William Carey, still an NAIA member. BU’s 2016 schedule hasn’t been posted. … The Laurel Black Cats semi-pro team will host the Magnolia State Tournament on Saturday and Sunday at Boston Park in Laurel. The Black Cats are 16-3 against a schedule that includes teams from Meridian, Jackson, Tougaloo, Perry County and the Gulf Coast. The Black Cats, owned and managed by Jody P. Babineaux, are carrying on the tradition of the independent Negro Leagues team of the same name that barnstormed the South beginning in the 1930s. … The Hattiesburg Black Sox, one of the state’s iconic semi-pro clubs, did not field a team this year for the first time since 1941.

07 Jul

going places?

Jonathan Papelbon is going to Cincinnati next week to represent the Philadelphia Phillies in the MLB All-Star Game on July 14. The ex-Mississippi State standout hopes to be going somewhere else and representing a different team soon thereafter. On the occasion of his selection to a sixth Midsummer Classic, Papelbon reiterated his desire to be traded from the lowly Phils to a contender. “Any team that wants me, I’m willing to go to,” he told mlb.com on Monday. Papelbon, who has a big contract and a combustible nature, has 14 saves and a 1.65 ERA this season. The trade deadline is July 31. … Southern Miss alum Brian Dozier launched his campaign to be a Final Vote All-Star selection by launching a walk-off home run against Baltimore on Monday. It was the 17th homer of the year and first career walk-off blast for the Minnesota second baseman. Passed over in Monday’s selection process, Dozier is one of five players on the American League Final Vote ballot. Fans will pick one; voting runs through Friday at 4 p.m. CDT. Dozier, batting .260 with a league-leading 63 runs and 42 RBIs, is seeking his first All-Star Game appearance. He says he won’t be disappointed if he doesn’t make it. “If it happens, it happens,” he told twincities.com.

20 Jun

starry, starry nights

The stars are coming out in the minor leagues. JaCoby Jones, the former Mr. Baseball from Richton, is slated to play in the Florida State League All-Star Game today in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Jones, a shortstop at high Class A Bradenton in the Pittsburgh system, is batting .259 (despite a recent slump) with eight homers and 40 RBIs. Selected in the third round of the 2013 draft out of LSU, Jones is rated by Baseball America as the Pirates’ 13th best prospect. He was a South Atlantic League postseason All-Star in 2014 after batting .288 with 23 homers for West Virginia. … Ex-Mississippi State star Jonathan Holder, a New York Yankees farmhand pitching for Tampa, is also in the FSL game. … East Central Community College product Tim Anderson is on the North Division roster for the Double-A Southern League All-Star Game on Tuesday in Montgomery, Ala. Anderson, a top-rated prospect for the Chicago White Sox, is hitting .298 with 27 RBIs and 22 steals for Birmingham. A host of Biloxi players and several Mississippi Braves are on the South roster. … Left-hander Cody Reed, ex-Northwest Mississippi Community College standout from Horn Lake, is on the Carolina League All-Star team for the game against the California League All-Stars, also on the docket for Tuesday. Reed is 5-5 with a 2.14 ERA for Class A Wilmington in the Kansas City system. … Anthony Alford, another former Mr. Baseball from Petal, is in the Class A Midwest League All-Star Game, also set for Tuesday. Alford plays for Lansing in the Toronto system and is hitting .284 with 11 bags in his first full pro campaign. … Delta State product Carlos Leal, a catcher with Wisconsin (Milwaukee system), and ex-Madison Central High star Spencer Turnbull, a pitcher for West Michigan (Detroit), are also ticketed for the MWL classic. P.S. Brian Dozier isn’t in the top five at second base in the fan voting for next month’s MLB All-Star Game. What a shame. The former Southern Miss standout is batting .264 (.346 on-base) with 13 homers, 32 RBIs, 22 doubles, three triples and 54 runs for Minnesota. As a USA Today columnist writes, Dozier “is becoming a star before our eyes.” Surely he’ll get All-Star consideration from fellow players and American League manager Ned Yost.

25 May

digging the long ball

Brian Dozier, last year’s runner-up in the all-Mississippi home run race, is leading the pack at the Memorial Day mark. With nine home runs this season — including two on Sunday — the former Southern Miss star is tops among the 11 Mississippians who’ve appeared in the majors. He leads Ole Miss alumni Chris Coghlan by two and Zack Cozart by three. Collectively, Mississippi-connected players have hit 43 homers in 2015. Ex-Mississippi State star Mitch Moreland belted the 40th — his fourth of the season — on Friday at Yankee Stadium. Last year’s champion (with 24 bombs) was Meridian Community College product Corey Dickerson, currently on the disabled list with five. UM alum Seth Smith has hit four. Dozier erupted with a career-high 23 homers last season, when he was picked for the Home Run Derby at his home field in Minnesota. He is on a current power trip with five homers in his last eight games. P.S. Southern Miss/William Carey alum Dan Jennings, after starting 0-5 as Miami manager, has won two in a row, both at the expense of ex-MSU star Buck Showalter’s Baltimore club. Showalter was an ardent supporter of the Marlins’ much-debated decision to move Jennings from GM to skipper. Former Mississippi Braves star Martin Prado got the game-winning hit (in the 13th inning) for the Marlins on Saturday and delivered a key home run Sunday. … The New York Yankees have brought up lefty reliever Jacob Lindgren, the ex-State standout who had such a terrific pro debut in 2014 and almost made the big club this spring.

08 May

eye on …

Brian Dozier didn’t produce a hit for Minnesota on Thursday, but the ex-Southern Miss standout was hardly unproductive. He drew a walk, scored a run and made two sensational leaping snags at second base to help the surging Twins put the wraps on an 8-3 homestand with a 6-5 win over Oakland. The Twins are 16-13, creeping up on Kansas City and Detroit in the American League Central. Dozier is hitting .293 over his last 10 games, with three walks, nine runs and nine RBIs. For the season, he is batting just .236, but, much like last year, he is producing runs, which is what it’s really all about in baseball. Dozier has scored 21 runs and driven in 14 in 28 games. In 2014, he batted .242 but was second in MLB with 112 runs and drove in 71. Dozier has just two homers and two steals this year, so he is behind the pace of 2014 when he was a 20-20 man. But those numbers, homers in particular, seem to come in bunches. Worth noting, too: He hasn’t made an error in the field. P.S. The Twins’ win came at the expense of struggling A’s starter Drew Pomeranz, the Ole Miss alum who fell to 1-3 with a 5.12 ERA. … Ex-Rebels star Zack Cozart, out since Sunday when he was hit by a pitch on the wrist and then by a ground ball on the finger tip, reportedly could be back in the Cincinnati lineup tonight. The shortstop was seen wearing a T-shirt with the word “almost” taped to it on Thursday. He is batting .304 with five homers and 12 RBIs.

05 Sep

holding a charge

Though his power has waned — and his team’s postseason hopes have flickered out — Brian Dozier’s bat still has some life. The former Southern Miss star is batting .350 over his last 10 games with five RBIs and seven runs for Minnesota, which is battling with the Chicago White Sox to avoid last place in the American League Central. Dozier, not a noted slugger, belted 15 home runs through June, helping the second baseman get an invite to the MLB Home Run Derby (which didn’t go so well). He hit his 20th bomb of the year on Aug. 10 – and hasn’t hit one since. But that’s not really his game. Dozier’s other numbers for the season range from fair to great: .244 average, 132 hits, 80 walks, 62 RBIs, 20 steals and a league-leading 98 runs in 136 games. By season’s end, he’ll likely have improved his numbers from 2013 in every important category.