Kansas City Royals: Hunter Dozier is proving he’s a versatile player
The Kansas City Royals continue to move Hunter Dozier all around the diamond.
Hunter Dozier was initially supposed to be the third baseman for the Kansas City Royals, but that hasn’t been where he’s seen the most amount of time. In fact, Dozier has been a very versatile player for the Royals since they drafted him No. 8 overall in 2013.
Dozier was called up in 2016 and spent the most time in right field during his short time in the majors that year. After missing the 2017 season due to injury, Dozier continued to display his versatility when he returned in 2018 by splitting time between first base and third base.
Once Mike Moustakas was traded to the Brewers midway through the 2018 season, it seemed evident that the Royals would keep Dozier at third base. That’s where he spent most of his time in 2019, starting 100 games there that year.
In 2020, however, Dozier was on the move again thanks to the Royals acquiring Maikel Franco to man third base for them. Dozier started the season out of the action due to testing positive for COVID-19, but he later joined the team and became the starting right fielder. By season’s end, however, Dozier had spent the most time at first base, as neither Ryan O’Hearn or Ryan McBroom looked like viable options there.
Hunter Dozier can play just about anywhere on the diamond and that makes him valuable for the Kansas City Royals.
Dozier is under club control through the end of 2023 and should be a key contributor for the Royals during their next run to the postseason. The good news having someone like Dozier on board is that he’s able to play multiple positions and that makes putting lineups together much easier.
Dozier has already spent a significant amount of time at first base, third base, and right field and the Royals can use that to their advantage. If Franco returns in 2021, third base is shored up and Dozier can head to first base or right field. When Nick Pratto is ready to make his MLB debut, Dozier can then move to either third base or right field depending on when that takes place.
The Kansas City Royals saw just how good Hunter Dozier can be in 2019 when he slashed .279/.348/.522 with 26 home runs and 84 RBI through 523 at bats. He spent most of that season at third base, but also saw time at his other two main positions as well as at the designated hitter spot.
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It’ll be interesting to see where the Royals slot Dozier in at for the 2021 season and beyond, but that’s the beauty of a player like Hunter Dozier. He can be used in a variety of ways.