Midweek Stock Report: Brian Dozier is back

By foxsports
Published

Every Wednesday, FOX Sports North takes a look at which athletes' stock is trending up and whose is trending down.

In other words, who is heating up (Dozier, Brian) and who is cooling off.

With that in mind let's take stock of the current sports scene in Minnesota.

Brian Dozier, Twins second baseman

Maligned by Twins fans for months after his poor start to the season, Dozier has been on a tear in recent weeks. Dozier has been hitting .450 with a 1.150 slugging percentage over the last seven days, while racking up nine hits, four home runs and two doubles, and led the Twins to a 4-0 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday with two homers.

Kyle Gibson, Twins pitcher

Gibson was an unlikely candidate to lead the Minnesota Twins to their first win against the White Sox this season after going 0-5 with a 6.05 ERA through his first six starts, but he came through on Tuesday night. Gibson pitched seven scoreless innings in Chicago, fanning a season-high seven batters and issuing just one walk.

Kieffer Bellows/Riley Tufte, Minnesota prep hockey alums

Bellows and Tufte were selected in the first round of the NHL Draft on Friday, the first time that two Minnesota natives have gone in the first 30 picks since 2010. Bellows, who won a state title with Edina in 2014, was drafted by the New York Islanders after scoring 50 goals as a member of the U.S. National Team Development Program last season. Tufte was drafted by the Dallas Stars after opting to play out his high school career in Minnesota, scoring 78 points in 25 games for Blaine as a senior, winning the 2016 Mr. Hockey award.

Phil Hughes, Twins pitcher

Hughes is set to have season-ending shoulder surgery on July 6 after being diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, a procedure that will require the removal of a rib. Demoted to the bullpen in May, Hughes made just one appearance as a reliever for the Twins after posting a 5.97 ERA and just three wins through 11 starts.

Thomas Vanek, former Wild forward

The Wild bought out the final year of Vanek's contract last week, a deal which was set to pay out $7.5 million next season. Scratched at times down the stretch and unproductive in the playoffs, Vanek scored just 18 goals last year. The move frees up $5 million for GM Chuck Fletcher to play with in free agency, but will cost the Wild $1.5 million against the cap this season and $2.5 million next season.

Byung Ho Park, Twins designated hitter/first baseman

Park is batting just .136 in June, and had no hits last week in 13 at-bats. With the return of (probably former) outfielder Miguel Sano imminent, Park could find himself headed to Rochester if the doesn't turn things around soon.

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