Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
For Minnesota Twins’ second baseman Brian Dozier, the 2013 season has been filled with inconsistency. There have been times when Dozier has shown he can hit for power, times when he has shown he can hit for average in the leadoff spot and times when he has shown he is an above average defensive infielder at the big-league level; but there have also been times that Dozier has looked inept at the plate and cannot handle his own or even get a bunt down. Since Dozier does play above average defense and hits above the .200 mark, he should be able to keep his job with the Twins at the majors for the time being in large part because of the lack of viable infielders coming through the ranks in the minors. The best chance the Twins have at having an improvement over Dozier is in prospect Eddie Rosario, but even he is a year or two away yet as well.
As the fourth installment in the Twins’ walk-up song redux, I’ve decided to look at Dozier who has been consistently in the lineup this year and has shown signs of growth that may make him a viable contributor over the next few years. In this redux series, I take the player’s original walk-up song and give three alternatives that might better suit the player more than their current walk-up song and since the walk-up song has become a great identifier and personality identifier in the game of baseball, I figured I better align the player’s with the song that I feel is most appropriate for them.
Currently, Dozier’s walk-up song is “Small Town USA” by Justin Moore and while that is a very fitting choice for Dozier’s personality, it fails in comparison to the three alternatives that I will now unveil.
The first option to replace Dozier’s walk-up song is “Long Line of Losers” by Montgomery Gentry. The fact that I have chosen this option for Dozier’s walk-up song replacement has nothing to do with Dozier as a player and instead refers to the positions that Dozier has played with the Twins since he has been promoted which are shortstop and second base. Both of those positions have been a revolving door of mediocrity over the past five to 10 years since the days of Cristian Guzman and Luis Castillo and thus, Dozier is the latest in a “long line of losers” to take up a middle infield spot.
The second option for Dozier’s new walk-up tune is also by Montgomery Gentry and is called “Lucky Man”. This choice does have everything to do with Dozier as a player because, let’s be honest, if there were a better option at Triple-A, Dozer may not be on the roster or may be relegated to a bench role. The fact that the Twins are unable to have a viable replacement to push Dozier and give him competition speaks volumes of the lack of depth in the middle infield for the organization; thus, Dozier is one lucky man.
The final option for Dozier’s new walk-up song is “Work Hard Play Hard” by Wiz Khalifa. For all of the grief that I have given Dozier, you must give credit where credit is due and admit that Dozier plays the game the right way in everything he does. Dozier is a great ambassador for sportsmanship, work ethic and effort and his game reflects these values. What Dozier lacks in polish and skill in his overall game, he makes up for with his dedication to improvement and getting the most out of every opportunity he is given. Unfortunately, those qualities may not be enough to keep Dozier’s job over the long haul because at the end of the day, talent still trumps most other aspects of the game.
Those are my three options that I have come up with for a new walk-up song for Dozier. If you have any other ideas that better fit Dozier, feel free to leave a comment and express your thoughts!
Brian Wille is a Minnesota Twins writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @BeeWill15 or “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
