The Royals had high hopes for the former first-round pick after signing him to a four-year, $25 million contract extension in February. The optimist reacted to the signing by pointing to his remarkable 2019 season, in which he hit .279./348/.522 with 26 home runs and emerged as one of the top power threats in the organization, and dismissed his lackluster performance in 2020 as a small sample size that was affected by a COVID-19 infection. The pessimist reacted to the signing by noting Dozier’s age is past the point most players are in their prime, that he was defensively limited, and that he was coming off an underwhelming season.
2021 Season in Review: Hunter Dozier
