under the radar

In a recent article posted on SI.com, Brian Dozier was tagged as “the most underrated and underappreciated player in baseball.” There is evidence to support that assertion in the voting at second base for the American League All-Star team. Dozier, the former Southern Miss standout from Tupelo, is a distant fifth in the latest numbers. Robinson Cano is the runaway winner, with over 2 million votes, but one would have thought Dozier would generate more than the 800,000 or so he has received. After all, the game will be played in his home ballpark — Target Field. And he is having a pretty terrific season for Minnesota. A recent hot streak — nine hits in his last five games — has boosted his average to a modest .252, but his other numbers are very impressive and speak to his versatility: .366 on-base percentage, 15 home runs, 38 RBIs, 59 runs and 15 steals in 74 games. He is a good glove man, and he has an excellent WAR rating, for whatever that’s worth. To the voting public, it must not be worth much. Dozier will have to find an alternate route to the All-Star Game, but he certainly deserves to be there.