Signing Dozier gives Padres more options at second
By Bill Center
The best way to address a question is with multiple good answers—that appears to be the Padres strategy at second base. During the off-season, second base became something of a game of musical chairs.
— Ian Kinsler retired at the age of 37 and joined the Padres front office after a disappointing 2019 campaign with the Padres — hitting .217 with nine homers and 22 RBIs with a .646 OPS in 63 starts.
— Luis Urías, a top prospect who hit .223 while make 25 starts at second and 38 starts at short, hit just .223 with a .655 OPS and was traded on Nov. 27 with left-handed starting pitcher to Milwaukee for right-handed starting pitcher Zach Davies and center fielder Trent Grisham.
— Six days later, the Padres acquired Jurickson Profar to play second, getting him from the Oakland A’s in a trade for catcher Austin Allen and minor league outfielder Buddy Reed.
Going into spring training, that put Profar and native San Diegan Greg Garcia at the top of the Padres depth chart at second. Garcia set a number of career offensive highs with the Padres in 2019 while making 57 starts at second base.
But Profar has a history of injuries, and the Padres covet Garcia more as a versatile utilityman than a regular second baseman.
Also on the depth chart—Ty France, who made 17 starts at second for the Padres in 2019 although he was the Triple-A Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player as a corner infielder and minor leaguer Ivan Castillo.
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The Padres were almost two weeks into spring training when Padres General Manager A.J. Preller added former American League All-Star and Gold Glove winner Brian Dozier to the second base mix as a free agent.
And while Profar and Garcia can have played other positions, Dozier, who turns 33 on May 15, has spent 99 percent of his eight-season Major League career as a second baseman with the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals.
He hit .238 with a .340 on-base percentage and a .430 slugging percentage for a .771 OPS last season for the world champion Washington Nationals. He was 99-for-416 with 20 doubles, 20 homers and 50 RBIs.
An eighth-round draft pick out of Southern Mississippi in 2009 by Minnesota, the 5-foot-11 Dozier spent the majority of his Major League career with the Twins.
In 2015, he finished 28th in the American League Most Valuable Player voting after hitting 28 homers with 77 RBIs and making the American League All-Star team.
In 2016, he finished 13th in the MVP voting after batting .268 with a career-best 42 homers and 99 RBIs. He also finished with a career-best .886 OPS.
And in 2017, Dozier finished 11th in the American League MVP balloting after hitting .271 with 34 homers and 93 RBIs. He also won the Gold Glove for his defensive work.
Dozier has played 1,137 Major League games with 192 homers, 561 RBIs and 105 stolen bases. He has a career .245 batting average with a .326 on-base percentage, .442 slugging percentage and a .768 career OPS.
Off the field, Dozier is known for his charitable work in his native Mississippi. Last year he donated $60,000 to projects in his home state through the Big League Impact Foundation.
More recently, new Padres Dozier and Tommy Pham donated $20,000 to the San Diego Food Bank to help with the COVID-19 crisis.
