Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.
The Two Hunter Doziers
If you haven’t been paying close attention (so, most baseball fans outside of Kansas City), Hunter Dozier has put together a solid season for the Royals. This is noteworthy for a few reasons. First, Dozier was a first-round pick, which the Royals have struggled to get solid production out of in recent years (Hello to Nolan Watson, Chase Vallot, Ashe Russell, and Foster Griffin). Second, Dozier struggled mightily for several years in the minors before remaking himself into this current iteration which has accounted for 2.0 WAR.
A quick peek at Dozier’s life in the minors shows how big of an improvement happened. In 64 games in Double-A in 2014, Dozier hit .209 while only getting on-base at a .213 clip. In 2015, he posted similar numbers at the same level over 128 games, hitting .213/.281/.349. And in 2016, Dozier got his first taste in Kansas City, getting a small sample in eight games, going 4-for-21 with one double.
Dozier was back in Major League Baseball in 2018, mainly looking overwhelmed at the plate. Overall, he was below replacement level, coming in at -0.8 WAR while playing below average defense. What has changed? For one, his plate discipline. Second, Hunter hits the ball extremely hard.
First, a look at plate discipline. Opposing pitchers understand this and know where to attack. We can take a look at Hunter’s swing percentages for 2018, per Baseball Savant:
Compared to 2019:
Hunter is chasing less. His O-Swing% has decreased from 35.6% to 29.4%, which is a marginally significant improvement. In addition, he appears to be hitting almost everything that he sees in the zone with a high exit velocity, including a scorching 102.2 MPH on pitches up and away:
Interestingly, however, he hasn’t connected on any home runs in that same area:
While I cannot say that I am sold on Hunter Dozier as a Major League third baseman, he has made some marginal improvements in that regard. According to FanGraphs his UZR has improved from -2.9 to -1.9 in a year. Not great, but an improvement.
While we may not be on the verge of a new star, we could be on the verge of a legitimately good hitter. It could potentially be an interesting development to see if Hunter’s 2019 production continues into future years, and if the Royals believe he is their third baseman. But for now, we can enjoy watching Hunter Dozier scorch pitches, as long as he doesn’t chase.
Introduce Yourself (Example Post)
This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.
You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.
Why do this?
- Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
- Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.
The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.
To help you get started, here are a few questions:
- Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
- What topics do you think you’ll write about?
- Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
- If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?
You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.
Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.
When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.
A Collection of Carter's Blog Ramblings 