More than a decade after capturing a regular season title with the Bethesda Big Train, Brian Dozier will return to the area after signing with the Washington Nationals last week.
The 31-year-old veteran has established himself as one of the top power-hitting second baseman in the game, but came to the Big Train in 2006 as a slick-fielding shortstop having just completed his freshman season at the University of Southern Mississippi.
“It was phenomenal being in Bethesda,” Dozier said in a conference call on Tuesday. “It was a great summer.”
Established in 1998, the Big Train is a summer team in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League, a wooden bat league comprised of 10 teams in the Baltimore-Washington area.
Dozier hit .258 with 31 hits across 33 games that season. He would be selected by the Minnesota Twins a few years later in the eighth round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft, reaching the big leagues in 2012. After six-plus seasons with the Twins and a few months with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dozier returns to the where place he made many lasting connections as a wiry 19-year-old.
“I met a lot of good people that I still call good friends today,” Dozier said. “I’m glad to be back in the area.”
Dozier earned an All-Star selection in 2015 and a Gold Glove Award in 2017. He’s the only American League second baseman to hit 40 home runs in a season.
“We just knew,” Big Train manager Sal Colangelo said. “His actions on the field, the way he carried himself, his work ethic, if he stayed healthy he’d be in the big leagues one day.”
Colangelo has been on the Big Train coaching staff since the team’s inception in 1998. He took over as manager in 2005, the club’s inaugural season in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League. Colangelo had developed a relationship with Southern Miss assistant coach Lane Burroughs, and a steady stream of Golden Eagles came to play in Bethesda each summer.
Dozier was a “high-profile” addition after coming off a Freshman All-American campaign, Colangelo said. His bat lagged a bit to start the summer, but heated up down the stretch. His glove? That never slumped.
“Defensively, he was an absolute ESPN highlight reel every game,” Colangelo said.
The Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League announced its inaugural Hall of Fame class in July 2018, with Dozier and reliever Brett Cecil chosen as the first nominees in the player category. Big Train co-founder Bruce Adams said the honor had as much to do with Dozier’s character as it did his career.
“He’s obviously a great baseball player, what is really cool about Brian is he’s a great guy,” Adams said.
The Big Train has had 14 alumni in the major leagues, and Adams tries to keep up with as many of them as possible. When Dozier was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, Adams went to see him in Arlington against the Texas Rangers. Dozier spotted Adams from about 40 yards away and motioned for him to come closer, but the front rows were roped off.
All it took was a nod from Dozier to the nearby security guard and Adams was down on the field.
“That’s the kind of guy he is,” Adams said. “He’s getting ready to play a game and he has time.”
Adams pointed out Dozier was a two-time winner of the Heart and Hustle Award from the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association while in Minnesota, a testament to his work in the community.
Dozier said he had offers from other organizations for longer terms and more money, but the decision came down to where he and his wife would be happy.
“You feel like everything kind of happens for a reason, you’re put in certain places to work and invest in the community,” Dozier said. “It just seemed like a really good fit.”
Charlie Wright can be reached at charlie.wright@moco360.media
