BIOGRAPHY
Hunter Dozier was born August 22, 1991, in Wichita Falls, Texas. He is a third baseman in the MLB.
Dozier went on to Stephen F. Austin State University, where he played college baseball for the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks baseball team. In 2013, he was named the Southland Conference Player of the Year and a finalist for the Brooks Wallace Award, given annually to the best shortstop in college baseball.
Dozier began the 2014 season with the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League. On June 18, the Royals promoted him to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals of the Class AA Texas League. 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 of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in May. Dozier appeared in the 2016 All-Star Futures Game. In 129 games between Northwest Arkansas and Omaha, he slashed .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 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 in the Mexican Pacific League. 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 RBI in 139 games.
On July 22, 2020, it was announced that Dozier had tested positive for COVID-19. 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.
