Why Kansas City Royals’ Hunter Dozier counsels patience for himself and his teammates
Royals third baseman Hunter Dozier believes in trusting his hitting process.
Dozier took a .176 season batting average into Sunday’s series finale against the Oakland A’s but didn’t sound too worried about it.
“Not the start I wanted this year, but the changes I made this offseason I definitely feel are the right changes; I just have to trust it,” he said. “I have to swing at the right pitches, too. A lot of it is swinging at pitches out of the zone or not having the right approach up there.
Along those lines, Dozier said he has made a significant change to his approach at the plate.
“Just trying to keep my bat in the zone longer and trying to think more about the rotation of the swing versus the handsy swing,” he said.
After three straight MLB seasons batting below .240, he knew it was time to try something new.
“Just coming off a couple of not-great years,” he said. “Then, just watching the best guys in the league — guys that have success. Just looking at them and talking to some of those guys and figuring out what they do and what I need to do.”
With his struggles at the plate, Dozier has been an easy target for fans on social media this season. But he said he stays away from Twitter — he doesn’t want the chatter to affect his belief that he will find his way.
“In the back of my mind, I still know that the changes I made were definitely the right changes,” he said. “They showed in spring. When you get into a season and the results are not what you want them to be, it’s hard not to search.
“I just go back to what I did this offseason, to what I did in spring and just focus on swinging at good pitches. I think that’s really big for me.”
There have been signs of late that the tide could be turning for the Royals ... and Dozier. He went 2-for-2 against the Athletics on Friday with a triple, a double and two walks.
“Offensively, last week or so, we’ve been hitting the ball really well and scoring some runs,” he said. “We’ve got a young team in here. A lot of guys are trying to make there way to the big leagues and stuff, establish themselves. We’re going to be fine. We are going through growing pains right now.
“I know fans are not happy — clearly — by social media and stuff. They want us to win games. We want to win games, too. ... We are doing everything we can. We’re working hard. It’s going to turn, and when it does it’s going to be fun.”
