Minnesota Twins: Top 10 players on the Twins right now

1. 2B Brian Dozier

Unquestionably, Brian Dozier is not only the top player on the Twins, but he’s the leader in the clubhouse. Basically, he’s the epitome of what you want in a professional baseball player. While his numbers speak for themselves, he’s an even better human being, which makes him one of the most lovable athletes in Minnesota.

Related Story: Twins should move Dozier to third base!

Fortunately, the Twins didn’t ship him away last offseason because, in all likelihood, they wouldn’t have got what they deserved for the star second baseman. Most importantly, they probably wouldn’t have made the playoffs considering his production at the top of the lineup is so essential to the team’s success.

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On the surface, it may not look like Dozier had as good of a season as he had in 2016, but I’d argue he did just that. While the home run and RBI totals took tiny dips, Dozier produced a career-high .271 batting average and .359 on-base percentage. He also improved his walk total from 61 to 78 in 2017. In fairness, 34 home runs and 93 RBIs is no small feat either and probably more realistic than the 42 home run, 99 RBI performance in 2016. Although, it’s also fair to point out the RBI total would likely increase if Dozier was hitting in the middle of the lineup rather than at the top.

Of course, Dozier’s offensive game gets most of the attention, but many miss out on the fact that he’s a stellar defensive second baseman too. As matter of fact, he was first in fielding percentage among AL second basemen at 99.3 percent, which was enough to garner his first Gold Glove. With this in mind, there’s really not many holes in his game as he also boasts enough speed to steal and run bases well too.

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Currently, the honor of the Twins top player goes to Dozier given he’s in the middle of his prime and has produced results unparallel to anyone else on the roster over the past two seasons. Now, there are definite candidates to overtake Dozier, but for the time being, he’s the most complete player on the Twins and most deserving of the top spot on the list.