After two pretty dismal months in which he dropped below .200 for a while and hovered near it for a lot of the other times, Brian Dozier's slash line in 13 June games entering Wednesday (51 at bats) is this: .333/.424/.549. The first, of course, is batting average. Add the last two (on base and slugging) and you get a tidy .973 OPS.
Two weeks doesn't make a season, but it is interesting to see how much that hot stretch has brought his season totals far closer in line with his previous years. He batted .244, .242 and .236 in his three full season with the Twins from 2013-15. Now he's batting .232. His career on-base percentage is .315; this year, it's .324. His OPS is .704, just 20 points below his career average.
With another two-week stretch like the one he just had, Dozier's numbers will be Dozier-esque. And maybe instead of insisting he is more than that — it would be nice, but maybe he isn't? — it's OK to be OK with what he is.
Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. michael.rand@startribune.com.
