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Wait a second: A closer look at Dozier’s power
- Updated: September 16, 2016
We’re witnessing one of baseball’s greatest feats this season. It’s not quite Cy Young grabbing a 511th victory or Rickey Henderson swiping all of those bases or Willie Mays making impossible catches. It’s also much less than Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak and most things involving the bat and the glove from the likes of Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron and Ken Griffey Jr.
Even so, when you consider the history of the game since its professional birth soon after the Civil War, Brian Dozier is doing the unthinkable.
That’s because Dozier plays second base.
Now let this sink in: Before Dozier continued his torturing of pitchers Thursday in Detroit with a ninth home run in 13 games for 41 overall, the only person to slam 40 or more during a season for the Twins was Harmon Killebrew, among baseball’s legendary men in terms of name, stature and power.
Dozier? Well, nothing against this former Southern Mississippi standout with a trip to the Major League All-Star Game on his resume, but when you envision guys who jack that many balls over fences, you see Killebrew, along with other prototypical corner outfielders, corner infielders and designated hitters. Those types of sluggers range from Babe Ruth, Willie Stargell and Mike Schmidt to Mark Trumbo, Edwin Encarnacion and Chris Davis.
They weren’t second basemen, though. Players at that position are usually light hitters, but only if you live in the past.
Take Bill Mazeroski, for instance. Here we are, 10 U.S. presidents later, and he still is one of the top heroes for Pirates fans after his walk-off homer in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series beat the Yankees. That was drama enough, but this made it better: He played second, and he was more noted for his Gold Gloves Awards than his average bat that produced 18 homers — you know, combined over the previous two regular seasons.
Mazeroski is in the Hall of Fame. So is Nellie Fox, who spent …
