And just like that, the magic number for the Minnesota Twins is three.
No, not the number it would take for the Minnesota Twins to get into the playoffs (or out for that matter) but rather three home runs away from Brian Dozier tying history.
So, I guess really, the magic number is four.
Dozier’s torrid pace he’s been on since the beginning of June has been one for the record books and after another bomb on Tuesday, he sits just three homers away from tying the single-season mark by a second basemen.
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He’s already tied the American League held by Alfonso Soriano at 39 and is eyeing the all-time mark.
Davey Johnson and Rogers Hornsby both are tied at 42.
And what a beautiful season this could be for Dozier. After starting on an absolutely awful slump, he sits just four home runs away from setting a record, despite the Twins’ rough season.
Through Tuesday, he’s homered in five straight games including a three-homer game on Labor Day.
All in all, it’s unfortunate as he would probably see some MVP votes if not for the team’s struggles.
But why not see him get some recognition?
He’s likely to win the Silver Slugger and ranks second in all of baseball in home runs.
He’s on pace to easily hit 40+ home runs with 100+ RBI’s and 100+ runs.
I’m not saying he will win the MVP or will get any votes but really, he should.
All we need to do is look at Alex Rodriguez who won the award in 2003 despite finishing on a last-place team (71-91).
It will obviously be an uphill battle for Dozier but who has been more valuable to his club than him? If it weren’t for him, the Twins would not be in most of their games.
And yes, they have only won 50-something games but looking at a game like Monday’s just shows how important he is to the team.
Going back to Rodriguez, that year he won the award after hitting 47 home runs, driving in 118 and scoring 124 times.
Dozier’s numbers may not be too far away from those.
It’s realistic to think he could reach anywhere between 42-47 home runs with 105-115 RBI’s and at least 100 runs.
How close? Well that will at least give Twins fans something exciting to watch for in the final weeks of the season.
Again, I am not saying he will or should get any MVP votes but his season has been one for the record books and the writers may have something to talk about come awards season.
Now there has also been a lot of talk about the Twins potentially trading away Dozier. I do not think that will happen and also believe the exact opposite.
This offseason may be the time to lock Dozier up to a long-term extension.
With no guarantee that the likes of Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Eddie Rosario or even to a lesser extent Miguel Sano will pan out the way the Twins hope, keeping someone like Dozier may be vital to their future success.
Dozier’s season has been special and it’s an MVP-caliber year
He is still young at just 29 years old and is proving to be a perennial All-Star who could be the face of the Minnesota Twins.
And he could provide some serious pop for a long-term deal, something we haven’t seen from Joe Mauer.
I also don’t see whoever the next GM is wanting to do away with such a strong piece.
If the team was so willing to stick with Ervin Santana, what makes one think they wouldn’t stick with a guy like Dozier?
Of course if the buying team is willing to trade away a plethora of strong prospects, that could interest the incoming GM.
But that would take a king’s ransom and even then I don’t know if I would agree with trading him.
Regardless, Dozier’s season has been special and it’s an MVP-caliber year.
Here’s to hoping we’ll see many, many more of them in a Twins uniform.