Dozier comes to Twins' camp fitter, and wiser about the game

FORT MYERS, FLA. – Brian Dozier may be the most interesting Twin. In a short conversation he'll discuss dance parties, hitting philosophies, Brett Favre, dietary advice and stride piano playing.

"I want to keep the dance parties," he said after arriving at Twins camp this week.

His goal this year is to do them more often and with more energy in the second half.

Dozier and his team made breakthroughs last year. He became an All-Star second baseman, and the Twins won 83 games, following four straight 90-loss seasons.

Dozier and his team faded in the second half. The Twins went 8-11 in their last 19 games, and 31-35 in their last 66. Dozier hit .210 with a .359 slugging percentage the second half of the season, often giving away at-bats by failing to cover the outside part of the plate.

He isn't sure exactly what went wrong, but he took measures to keep that from happening again. This winter he hired renowned nutritionist Mackie Shilstone and cut refined sugars out of his diet. Always strong and athletic for a second baseman, Dozier is noticeably leaner this spring.

He spent the winter thinking about hitting coach Tom Brunansky's advice: that Dozier can make himself a tougher out and a better situational hitter with a willingness to hit outside pitches to right field.

"That's the next step for me," Dozier said. "I worked a lot this winter not just hitting the ball to right field but on my swing path to right field, to cover more of the plate. You never want to lose what you're good at. I talked to Bruno about that. I don't all of a sudden want to become an opposite-field hitter and lose the ability to hit the ball over the fence.

"I really don't think it's about the swing, I think it's about situations in the game. Runner on second, two outs? Don't worry about hitting a double or leaving the yard. That's one thing I'm learning as I get older."

Three years ago, Dozier was trying to prove he belonged in the big leagues. Today, he's an All-Star second baseman who is close friends with Favre and Torii Hunter and the presumed leader of an ambitious team.

In college, he taught himself to play guitar and piano. Now he keeps pianos in his homes in Hattiesburg, Miss., where Favre lives, and in Minnesota. This winter he began teaching himself to play stride piano, a technique requiring the left hand to alternate single notes and chords while the right hand plays, via Wikipedia, "syncopated melody lines with harmonic and riff embellishments and fill patterns."

"Like Ray Charles," Dozier said. "It's so hard."

Dozier is the logical candidate to replace Hunter as the Twins' leader. He won't publicly apply for the job, but admits he studied Hunter.

"I fed off Torii," he said. "That's the best thing that has ever really happened to me, is Torii coming over and being next to him all year, and picking his brain. Not only about the game of baseball, but everything in life — family, finances, everything. You take all that together, and I learned more last year than ever before about the qualities of being a leader, and about myself."

Hunter started the Twins' post-victory dance parties last year. "I was thinking that was over," Dozier said. "Talking with Torii — I go to him for advice on about everything now — he said to keep it going. It was a lot of fun, man. Wins in the big leagues are hard to come by. Why shut it down?"

Dozier prefers batting leadoff. He also knows that center fielder Byron Buxton will eventually bat there.

"I love hitting one, I absolutely love it," Dozier said. "I do realize there is somebody else in here competing for a job, who I think can do more than me as a leadoff hitter. And if he can do that job and bump everybody else down the lineup, I feel there will be more opportunities to drive in runs."

Jim Souhan's podcast can be heard at MalePatternPodcasts.com. On Twitter: @SouhanStrib. • jsouhan@startribune.com