For much of the season, Brian Dozier has been the antithesis of former Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy. Where Murphy’s bat made up for his shortcomings in the field, Dozier’s glove has made up for his limitations at the plate.
But don’t make the mistake of thinking Dozier, a down-home Mississippi guy, can’t hit.
The Nationals’ current second baseman, who smashed a career-high 42 homers in 2016, went deep for the 14th time on Sunday and added two walks as the Nationals wrapped up the “first half” of the season with a 5-2 victory at Nationals Park against the Kansas City Royals.
Dozier, 32, was an All-Star in 2015 with Minnesota and, like Murphy, was in his early 30s when his career landed him at Navy Yard.
He has taken full advantage, playing a solid, workmanlike second base while providing plenty of pop as a right-handed bat for manager Dave Martinez. He has hit sixth or seventh in the lineup 43 times and is batting .233 with 33 RBI. More importantly, he has made just three errors in 83 games.
Murphy made nine miscues for the Nationals in 139 games at second in 2017.
Dozier, hitting .176 on May 7, has overcome another slow start at the plate.
“(Dozier) has been steady; that is who he is,” Martinez said. “He is going to play good defense, hit the home runs. He has been really good.”
Martinez told first-base coach Tim Bogar before Sunday’s game that Dozier would hit a homer.
“There you go skip,” Dozier told Martinez when he got back to the dugout, according to the manager.
Thanks to Dozier’s solo shot off Royals right-hander Jakob Junis in the second inning, the Nationals went deep for the 21st straight game to extend their franchise record.
But during a recent hot surge where the Nationals have won 15 of 19, they have found other ways to score.
“It doesn’t really matter as long as you are producing runs,” Dozier said. “I think we have a good mixture in our lineup with speed and power.”
Dozier was signed to a one-year deal prior to this season by the Nationals, who realize they have two good options at second base for the future.
That would be slick-fielding Luis Garcia, now at Double-A Harrisburg, and Carter Kieboom, who got a limited trial at shortstop earlier this season when Trea Turner was injured.
Kieboom is now back at Triple-A Fresno and participated in the Futures Game on Sunday in Cleveland, after also taking part in the event for the best in the minors last July at Nationals Park. The Georgia native has played 41 games at short and 27 at second this year for Fresno, the top farm team of the Nationals.
Kieboom could be the starting second baseman for Washington next season. But for now, the Nationals are in playoff-mode with Dozier and other veterans.
Dozier made his major league debut with Minnesota in 2012. He was with the Twins until last July when he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he played in the World Series for the first time against the Boston Red Sox.
Now he is trying to get the Nationals over the postseason hump. Fellow veteran Howie Kendrick may get a few starts at second down the stretch, but the position belongs to Dozier.
Dozier entered Sunday with a career average of .245 while Murphy, now with Colorado, was at .298. But there is little doubt who Washington pitchers would rather have out at second base fielding grounders.
“We are on a roll right now,” Dozier said. “We have a lot of games left; it is a long season. But I like our chances.”
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