Hunter William Dozier (born August 22, 1991) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...

who is a free agent. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

. The Royals selected Dozier eighth overall in the first round of the

2013 MLB draft The 2013 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in reverse order of t ...

after he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks. He made his MLB debut in 2016.

Amateur career

Dozier attended

Denton High School Denton High School is a public high school located in the city of Denton, Texas and classified as a 5A school by the UIL. It is a part of the Denton Independent School District located in central Denton County and was the original high school f ...

Denton, Texas Denton is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Denton County, Texas, Denton County. With a population of 139,869 as of 2020, it is the List of cities in Texas by population, 20th-most populous city in Texas, the List of Un ...

, where he played for the school's

and

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

teams; Dozier played shortstop for the baseball team and quarterback in football. His football career was hampered by a broken collarbone in his junior year. He focused on baseball in his senior year of high school having intention to play college baseball. Dozier went on to

Stephen F. Austin State University Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU or SFA) is a public university in Nacogdoches, Texas, in the United States. Named after Stephen F. Austin, one of the founders of Texas, SFA was founded as a teachers college in 1923 and built on part ...

, where he played

for the

Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks baseball The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, United States. The team is a member of the Southland Conference (SLC), which is part of the Nat ...

team. In 2013, he was named the

Southland Conference The Southland Conference (SLC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States (specifically Texas and Louisiana). It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in ...

Player of the Year and a finalist for the

Brooks Wallace Award The Brooks Wallace Award is an award given by the College Baseball Foundation (CBF) to the best college baseball shortstop of the year. The award has been given annually since 2004. Until 2008 the award was presented to the nation's most outstand ...

, given annually to the best shortstop in college baseball.

Professional career

Kansas City Royals

The Royals selected Dozier with the eighth overall selection in the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in reverse order of ...

. Dozier signed with the Royals for a $2.2 million

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

, below the slot value of $3,117,800 allotted for the pick. He reported to the Royals'

Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it fo ...

complex before joining the

Idaho Falls Chukars The Idaho Falls Chukars are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and play their home games at Melaleu ...

of the

Rookie-level Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...

Pioneer League. He was promoted to the

Lexington Legends The Lexington Legends are an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball. The Legends have ...

of the

Single-A Single-A, formerly known as Class A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A, Double-A (baseball), Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams cl ...

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

in August. In 69 games between Idaho Falls and Lexington, he batted .308 with seven home runs and 52 RBIs. Dozier began the 2014 season with the

Wilmington Blue Rocks The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Wilmington, Delaware, and play their home games at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium. Fra ...

of the

High-A High-A, officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing, is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A and D ...

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

. On June 18, the Royals promoted him to the

Northwest Arkansas Naturals The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. T ...

of the Double-A

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

. In 130 games between the two clubs he hit .251 with eight home runs and 60 RBIs. Dozier spent the 2015 season with Northwest Arkansas, compiling a .213 batting average with 12 home runs and 53 RBIs in 128 games.. He returned there to begin the 2016 season before receiving a promotion to the

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, Nebraska, Omah ...

of the Triple-A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

in May. Dozier appeared in the 2016

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League- ...

. In 129 games between Northwest Arkansas and Omaha, he

slashed Ash are a Northern Irish rock band formed in Downpatrick, County Down in 1992 by vocalist and guitarist Tim Wheeler, bassist Mark Hamilton and drummer Rick McMurray. As a three-piece, they released mini-album '' Trailer'' in 1994 and full-lengt ...

.296/.366/.533 with 23 home runs and 75 RBIs. The Royals promoted Dozier to the major leagues on September 2, 2016. He made his major league debut on September 12. He recorded his first major league hit on September 16. Dozier began the 2017 season with Omaha. He missed the beginning of the season with a strained oblique muscle, and after playing in ten games, broke the

hamate bone The hamate bone (from Latin hamatus, "hooked"), or unciform bone (from Latin '' uncus'', "hook"), Latin os hamatum and occasionally abbreviated as just hamatum, is a bone in the human wrist readily distinguishable by its wedge shape and a hook- ...

in his wrist in June. He played a total of 33 games in the minor league regular season, and was not called up to the major leagues as a part of their September call-ups. After the regular season, he played for the

Naranjeros de Hermosillo The Naranjeros de Hermosillo () are a professional baseball team based in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. They compete in the Mexican Pacific League (LMP). The team plays at the Estadio Fernando Valenzuela with a capacity of 16,000 seated spectators. ...

in the

Mexican Pacific League The Mexican Pacific League (, or LMP), also known as the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico for sponsorship reasons, is a professional baseball Winter league baseball, winter league based in Northwestern Mexico. The league comprises 10 teams. It wa ...

. Dozier began 2018 with Omaha and was recalled by Kansas City on May 14. In 2019, Dozier hit .279 with 26 home runs and 84 RBIs in 139 games. On July 22, 2020, it was announced that Dozier had tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. Overall with the 2020 Kansas City Royals, Dozier batted .228 with six home runs and 12 RBIs in 44 games. On February 28, 2021, Dozier and the Royals agreed to a four-year, $25 million contract extension with a $10 million option for the 2025 season. On May 14, 2021, Dozier was involved in a collision with

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

first basemen José Abreu after Dozier hit a popup and collided with Abreu along the first base line. Both Dozier and Abreu left the game, and while Abreu returned to play the next day, Dozier was placed on the seven-day injured list. Playing in a career-high 144 games, Dozier underwhelmed, hitting .216/.285/.394 with 16 home runs and 54 RBIs. Dozier was one of ten Royals placed on the restricted list prior to a four-day road trip to play the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

in July 2022 because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19. Dozier said, "me personally, I don’t do any vaccines. I live a healthy lifestyle. I eat healthy, I work out. I want my body to naturally fight stuff off. I’m not against vaccines, so it’s just a personal preference. I’m not judging anyone who wanted to get it or who didn’t want to get it." Dozier played in 128 games for the Royals in 2022, hitting .236/.292/.387 with 12 home runs and 41 RBIs. In 2023, Dozier played in 29 games, batting .183/.253/.305 with two home runs and nine RBIs. On May 22, 2023, the Royals designated Dozier for assignment. On May 27, Dozier was released by Kansas City, with the Royals still owing him over $16 million from his 2021 extension.

Los Angeles Angels

On January 18, 2024, Dozier signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

. In 48 games for the Triple-A

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team that plays in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. Based in South Jordan, Utah, the team plays its home games at The Ballpark at Am ...

, he hit .222/.268/.394 with seven home runs and 38 RBI. On June 2, Dozier was released by the Angels organization.

Personal life

Dozier and his wife, Amanda, have three children.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dozier, Hunter 1991 births Living people All-American college baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Baseball players from Denton, Texas Idaho Falls Chukars players Kansas City Royals players Lexington Legends players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball third basemen Naranjeros de Hermosillo players Northwest Arkansas Naturals players Omaha Storm Chasers players Peoria Javelinas players Salt Lake Bees players Sportspeople from Wichita Falls, Texas Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks baseball players Willmar Stingers players Wilmington Blue Rocks players