CHICAGO – Brian Dozier successfully stole 18 bases last year in 20 attempts. He was safe in his last 10 thefts of the season. And he went home … unsatisfied.
"Every year, especially the past couple, I always look back and [say], 'Why haven't I done more on the base paths?" the Twins leadoff hitter said Friday. "I kind of want to take it to another level."
So far, that level is one a game, at least in the first three. Dozier swiped a pair of bases Wednesday, then another one Thursday, all off Royals Gold Glove catcher Salvador Perez.
Wait, that's not right, Dozier corrected. "You don't steal bases off a catcher, you steal them off the pitcher," he said.
And that's his secret, Dozier said. He spent spring training testing slightly longer leads, and he's doing more homework on each pitcher he may stare at from first base. "Everything I do is calculated. It's not just go to be stealing. I know the times of every single pitcher, and I know when I can't make it," he said. "I'm not going to give away that I'm going to be stealing every time. But for the most part, I'm going to try to be more aggressive."
That's OK with manager Paul Molitor, who has essentially given Dozier — who has now successfully stolen second base 13 consecutive times — permission to run whenever he likes.
"He was really aggressive this spring. I think he was trying to prove he could still lead off," Molitor joked. "He's not our fastest guy, but he's more adept than anybody else at knowing what he can do, knowing how to find an edge, and picking the right time to go. Good judgment, good instincts, good breaks."
New bullpen tradition
Dinner was over and the check had come. Pitchers in the Twins bullpen put their credit cards into the middle and had the waiter draw one out. But there was a problem. The waiter came back moments later and told Taylor Rogers … what exactly?
