Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said he might bat Brian Dozier or Kurt Suzuki leadoff if one of his center fielders doesn't seize the opportunity. A lot of people around the internet are mocking Gardenhire already for mentioning Suzuki (he of the .232/.290/.337 slash line in 2013) as a leadoff candidate. The veteran manager is advised to tread carefully; wonky lineup decisions have been tolerated up north in the past, but he's in the middle of a Boundary Waters' lake during the thaw right now. Not only is the ice thin, but you can hear the tremors from shore.

Brian Dozier doubled twice Monday as a Twins split-squad routed the Blue Jays 12-2. Dozier is 5-for-7 with three doubles and a walk this spring. He showed the pop (18 HR) and speed (14) to be a decent mixed-league infielder last season. To take it to the next level, he'll need to improve on last year's .244 average this season.

Brian Dozier stated Saturday that his injured knee has fully healed and checked out fine during his physical on Friday. The 26-year-old infielder took a full month off after the season to let his knee heal, and doesn't expect it to be an issue moving forward. He's fresh off a breakout season offensively where he hit .244/.312/.414 with 18 homers, 66 RBI and 14 stolen bases. His intriguing blend of power and speed makes him an interesting target in the middle rounds of mixed league drafts.

Brian Dozier went 1-for-3 in Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Indians. The Twins lost six straight games to close the season and finish 66-96, tied for the fourth-worst record in baseball with the Cubs. That means that skipper Ron Gardenhire, who failed to win his 1,000th game this weekend, may not be around to shepherd Dozier's development next season. The 26-year-old had a mini-breakout campaign in 2013, slashing .244/.312/.414 with 18 homers, 14 steals and 66 RBI in 147 games this season. Dozier will be a sneaky power/speed target at a shallow position in spring drafts.

Brian Dozier hit a game-tying homer in the ninth and scored the winning run in the 11th as the Twins topped the Tigers 4-3 on Monday. Dozier scored from second on a Josmil Pinto single when Torii Hunter airmailed the throw home. He has seven hits in his last three games, giving him a .248 average that rates as his high water mark since early May.

Brian Dozier went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a stolen base against the White Sox on Tuesday. Dozier has cooled from his torrid August, but he remains one of the Twins' more productive hitters. He's batting .243/.311/.420 with a surprising 17 home runs and 12 stolen bases in a bit of a breakout year for the 26-year-old. He'll be on some fantasy radars next season.

Brian Dozier blasted a solo homer in Thursday's loss to the Royals. The longball, which came in the sixth inning off of Bruce Chen, was Dozier's 14th of the season. Unfortunately for the Twins, that's all they could muster off of Chen and the Royals' bullpen. Dozier's 14 homers this season are five more than he's hit than any other year as a pro.

Brian Dozier swatted a two-run homer on Saturday, accounting for all of the Twins' offense in their loss to the Indians. Dozier has very quietly had an extremely productive season, hitting .243/.311/.418 with 13 homers, 54 RBI and 10 stolen bases. With dual-eligibility in the middle infield, and an intriguing blend of power and speed, Dozier should continue to be a very valuable fantasy performer.

Brian Dozier finished 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Sunday's win against the White Sox. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire spoke well of the second baseman after the game, summing things up by calling Dozier a "pretty good player." The comments were in response to a question from a reporter who asked if Dozier was solidifying himself as a long-term answer at the top of the order. Gardenhire smartly didn't acknowledge the query specifically, as the young infielder doesn't get on base nearly enough to slot as a long-term fixture in the leadoff spot. Dozier was batting .229 on July 21, but he has gone .304 with 15 extra-base hits in 18 games since. He's currently riding a six-game hitting streak.

Brian Dozier went 3-for-5 and was a home run shy of the cycle against the Royals on Wednesday. Dozier continued his torrid start to the month by knocking his 22nd double and fourth triple of the season. He drove in a run, scored a run and also stole a base, his ninth of the year, in the game. We don't get to say this often, but it doesn't get much hotter than Dozier right now.