Despite Hunter Dozier’s success, Royals will explore options at third base
The Kansas City Royals know they’ve got a productive middle-of-the-order bat in Hunter Dozier, but they’re still contemplating various machinations that include moving Dozier around the field.
Dozier, one of three finalists in fan voting as the American League’s starting third baseman in the All-Star Game, could move away from third base sooner than later depending on what the Royals find on the free-agent market this offseason.
They plan to pursue free-agent third basemen.
Dozier made 17 starts in right field last season, all after July 25. He made his major-league debut as an outfielder in 2016. He handled the switch well and continued to produce offensively last season.
“Whatever they need me to do, I’m totally on board with,” Dozier said in August. “Like I’ve always said, I just want to be in the lineup, and wherever I need to play, I’ll play.”
The Royals’ front office will use Dozier’s versatility as an opportunity to potentially sign a third baseman.
“We have two players on our 26-man roster who give us a lot of flexibility in Hunter Dozier and Whit Merrifield,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said Monday at baseball’s Winter Meetings. “We can move Hunter to right. Hunter can play some first base. We know he can play some third.
“There’s some quality third basemen out on the market right now that we’re exploring. It has got to fit.”
Dozier registered career highs in batting average (.279), OBP (.348), slugging percentage (.522), runs (75), doubles (29) triples (10), home runs (26) and RBIs (84) in 2019. He became the first Royals player with at least 25 doubles, 10 triples and 25 home runs in a season, and he’s just the fifth player in the majors to reach that benchmark since 1990.
Minor-league infielder Kelvin Gutierrez, 25, spent most of last season at Triple-A Omaha, but he played in 20 major-league games — mostly while Dozier spent time on the injured list with an oblique injury.
Gutierrez logged the second-most RBIs (11) through his first 11 games of any player in Royals history. He batted .260 with a .304 OBP and a .356 slugging percentage in the majors last season. In 75 games at Triple-A, he slashed .287/.367/.427 with 43 RBIs and 20 extra-base hits.
Acquired from the Washington Nationals in a trade in June 2018, Gutierrez’s combination of soft hands, range and arm strength at third impressed the Royals. They also believe he’s got potential to develop into more of a power threat.
He finished the season on the injured list with a fractured toe, however. He went on to miss time with a minor knee injury (patellar tendinitis) in winter ball.
“Some of our people think Kelvin Gutierrez could be ready next year. He was banged up a little bit toward the end of the season, and unfortunately got hurt in winter ball,” Moore said. “If he hadn’t got hurt in winter ball and performed well, we may not be exploring other third base options. We can put our 26-man roster together and be a little bit more creative because of Hunter Dozier and Whit Merrifield’s versatility.”
