Hunter Dozier showing early signs of being a difference-maker for Kansas City Royals lineup
The confluence of events that veered Kansas City Royals infielder/outfielder Hunter Dozier’s season off the tracks last year included playing through injury, an on-field collision that interrupted his season and then pressing too much in an effort to outperform the contract extension he signed during spring training in 2021.
While Dozier has acknowledged the effect those things had on him last season, he’s clearly trying very hard to stay focused on the present. There were no signs of his past struggles over in his corner of the clubhouse after Saturday’s win over the Detroit Tigers.
However, there was a championship belt — picture something out of a professional wrestling league — by his locker as a clear indication that he made the biggest impact of all in the game that stopped the club’s five-game losing streak. His two-run home run provided the margin of victory for the Royals.
When asked about his good start this season in relation to last year, Dozier replied, “It’s always good to get off to a good start. It just brings a little more confidence to me. Saying, okay, the things I worked on, the things I did in spring training, I’m heading in the right direction. I just need to continue to do what I’m doing and keep making little adjustments.”
So far, Dozier has gotten out of the gates looking like one of the best hitters in the club’s lineup, albeit just eight games into the year (he has played in seven).
Dozier has gone 8 for 27 (.296) with a triple, a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored. MLB announced on Wednesday that it had changed a double by Dozier on opening day against Cleveland to an error on a fly ball dropped in left field.
Dozier is still trying to settle into a routine when serving as the designated hitter, a role he’s still getting used to after having bounced around from the corner infield to corner outfield spots in recent years.
He had five hits in the first three games of the series with the Tigers, and his biggest came in the sixth inning on Saturday against right-hander Will Vest with a man on and one out in a tie game.
“I was actually looking fastball because he likes to run it in,” Dozier said. “When I got down 0-2, I had to really just back things up and try to go the other way. Just try to find a way to keep the inning going, find a way to get on. I was able to react to the slider and put a good swing on it.”
That 0-2 slider on the inner half ultimately ended up sailing over the left-field wall for Dozier’s first home run of the season.
“I hit it good, but you never know with the wind here in Kauffman. It’s a crazy park,” Dozier said. “When I first hit it, I was like, ‘Okay, that’s gone.’ Then I see it’s just hanging up there. I was like ‘Oh God.’ I got a little nervous.”
Last season, Dozier played in a career-high 144 games, and he started at third base (52 games), right field (50), left field (13), first base (12) and designated hitter (10) to become just the second player ever to start at least 10 games at each of those five positions. He joined Jeff Conine (Baltimore, 2001).
Dozier suffered a hand injury on opening day last season that hampered him early in the season. Then in May, he suffered a concussion when he collided with Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu. That sidelined Dozier for two weeks.
He didn’t seem to get on track until the second half of the season. In his final 81 games after July 1, he batted .261 with a .331 on-base percentage and a .448 slugging percentage. He smacked 15 doubles, four triples, nine home runs and 32 RBIs during that stretch.
Dozier has put last season in the rear-view mirror, and Royals manager Mike Matheny seems to want to act as though that year has been erased entirely.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, last year,” Matheny said with a smirk after Saturday’s game. “All I know is this guy is a good hitter. He’s such a pure athlete. He brings everything to the table that you would want. The way he competes. The way he prepares. The way he works. The talent is just shining through right now. He just needs to completely stay where he is. He’s going to have a big season if he continues to do what he’s doing.”
