Brian Dozier, Washington Nationals
Last year was disappointing for Brian Dozier, especially after he was traded by the Minnesota Twins to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He’s hoping for a rebound in 2019 before heading back out to free agency this upcoming winter as a 32-year-old, but it’s not looking good through his first 50 plate appearances in DC.
The veteran second baseman has struggled mightily, and you know it’s bad when his dismal on-base percentage (.220) is higher than his slugging percentage (.217). Dozier has accounted for just one home run, one RBI, and five runs scored, and his 16 wRC+ is among the 15 worst when looking at hitters that have accumulated 40-plus plate appearances.
There are many contributing factors to this sluggish start, including a line-drive rate (6.3%), ground-ball rate (59.4%), soft-hit rate (28.1%), and hard-hit rate (31.3%) that are not even close to career norms.
Dozier’s top priority should be getting his performance against four-seamers back on track. He’s posted a 127 wRC+ or higher against that pitch each year since 2013, but that number is at -18 with a 13.1% swinging-strike rate and 60.0% ground-ball rate so far in 2019.
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