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Adam Dunn

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Adam Dunn strikes out swinging to Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz (not pictured).
Positions	Left field, First base
Team	Cincinnati Reds
Years of Experience	5 years
Age	27
Height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight	275 lbs
Bats	Left
Throws	Right
College	University Of Texas
2005 Salary	$4,600,000
Place of Birth	Houston, Texas
Nickname	The Big Donkey
Selection	2nd round amateur draft, 1998
Drafted by	Cincinnati Reds
Major League Debut	July 20, 2001

Adam Troy Dunn (born November 9, 1979 in Houston, Texas), is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed. A former standout quarterback at New Caney (Texas) High School, Dunn signed with the University of Texas and backed up Major Applewhite for one year. However, when his Longhorns coach made a commitment to lefty-throwing Chris Simms, the son of former New York Giants signal caller Phil Simms and expressed a desire to move Dunn to tight end, Dunn quit football and concentrated on baseball. The Reds drafted Dunn in the second round of the 1998 amateur draft while he was still an active collegian. Dunn signed and quit college.

In his six-season career, Dunn owns a .893 OPS with 198 home runs and 466 runs-batted-in in 861 games. He has a career .245 batting average.

He was elected to the 2002 National League All-Star team.

At six feet, six inches in height and weighing 275 pounds, Dunn, who is one of the National League's most feared sluggers, invites frequent comparisons to Mark McGwire. However, the consensus among baseball pundits and fans is that Dunn is far more athletic than McGwire.

Adam Dunn's most productive season came in 2004, when he posted career highs in batting average (.266), home runs (46), RBI (102), runs (105), hits (151), doubles (34), on base percentage (.388), slugging average (.569) and OPS (.957).

Dunn made his Major League debut on July 20, 2001 and set a National League rookie record for the most home runs in a month by hitting 12 in August. On September 30, 2004, Dunn once again got his name in Major League Baseball's record book — albeit not in the manner he wished. That day, Dunn struck out three times against Chicago Cubs right-hander Mark Prior, raising his season total to 191 and surpassing Bobby Bonds' single season strikeout record of 189, set in 1970. He finished the season with 195 strikeouts.

Dunn's 46 longballs in 2004 were the fourth most in Cincinnati Reds history. That year, he joined Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan as the only Reds players to score 100 runs, drive in 100 runs, and draw 100 walks in a single season. Dunn repeated the feat the following season.

On Mother's Day, May 14, 2006, Dunn was one of more than 50 hitters who brandished a pink bat to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation.

In 2004, 2005, and 2006, he struck out 34.3%, 30.9%, and 34.6% of the time, in each year the highest percentage in major league baseball.[1][2]][3]

Despite the high strikeout total, Dunn often exhibits good plate discipline. He is among the major league leaders every season in number of pitches per at-bat, an indication that he generally knows when to swing and when not to. Although his career batting average is only .245, he has compiled a robust .384 on-base percentage while striking out about ten times for every six walks. However, his main weakness continues to be his tendency in striking out at rates that alarm baseball traditionalists. From the moneyball perspective, many point out that his on-base percentage is actually higher than several hitters with batting averages over .300 each year.

Contents 1 Position changes 2 Trivia 3 Career Stats 4 External links

In December, 2005, Reds manager Jerry Narron informed the press that, due to the trade of popular first baseman Sean Casey to the Pittsburgh Pirates for left-handed pitcher Dave Williams, Adam Dunn would be moving to first base for the 2006 season. However, with the acquisition of free agent first baseman Scott Hatteberg (who played for the Oakland Athletics in 2005) during spring training and the March 20th trade of outfielder Wily Mo Pena to the Boston Red Sox for right-handed pitcher Bronson Arroyo, the plan to convert Dunn was scrapped (Dunn had mentioned that he had rather not play 1B also) and, to date, he has only played a handful of games there. Currently, first base duties are presently handled by left-handed hitting Scott Hatteberg.

• In 2003, Dunn had three home runs, two walks and eight RBI in six plate appearances as a pinch-hitter, giving him a .833 on base percentage and 3.000 slugging percentage.
• In 2004 Dunn hit an estimated 535-foot home run off of the Los Angeles Dodgers' José Lima that cleared the stands at Great American Ball Park, bounced on Mehring Way and finally came to rest on driftwood in the Ohio River. It ranks as one of the longest home runs of the last 30 years and has been rumored to be both the longest recorded shot in Major League Baseball history and, since the Ohio-Kentucky border was defined to be at lower water mark of the Ohio River in 1793, it might also be the first home run to cross a state line in flight. Another Dunn home run struck during the 2006 season hit a car passing by the ballpark on Mehring Way. Reportedly, the owner retrieved the ball and has not come forward.
• With 11 home runs, 31 RBI and .701 slugging average, Dunn was named the National League Player of the Month in July 2005.
• On June 30, 2006, Adam Dunn was the inarguable star of the Reds' interleague game against the visiting Cleveland Indians. The Reds, who had trailed the entire game, scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. The ninth inning saw right fielder Austin Kearns score on pinch hitter Javier Valentin's single. With the bases loaded and Dunn facing then-Indians closer Bob Wickman (who has since been traded to the Atlanta Braves,) Dunn launched a line-drive into the Indians bullpen in right field for a dramatic walkoff grand slam. Dunn later donated the bat he used to hit the walk-off grand slam to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.

• Video of Adam Dunn's grand slam
• MP3 of Marty Brennaman's call of the home run

• His nicknames are the Big Donkey, a joke about his speed, and Number One Dunner, a play-off the Big Tymers song "Number One Stunner".

Year Ag Tm  Lg  G    AB    R   H    2B  3B  HR  RBI  SB CS  BB  K    AVG    OBP   SLG   TB   SH  SF IBB HBP GIDP 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 2001 21 CIN NL  66  244   54   64  18  1   19   43   4  2   38   74  .262  .371  .578  141   0   0   2   4   4
 2002 22 CIN NL 158  535   84  133  28  2   26   71  19  9  128  170  .249  .400  .454  243   1   3  13   9   8
 2003 23 CIN NL 116  381   70   82  12  1   27   57   8  2   74  126  .215  .354  .465  177   0   4   8  10   4
 2004 24 CIN NL 161  568  105  151  34  0   46  102   6  1  108  195  .266  .388  .569  323   0   0  11   5   8
 2005 25 CIN NL 160  543  107  134  35  2   40  101   4  2  114  168  .247  .387  .540  293   0   2  14  12   6
 2006 26 CIN NL 160  561   99  131  24  0   40   92   7  0  112  194  .234  .365  .490  275   1   3  12   6   8
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS          821 2832  519  695 151  6  198  466  48 16  574  927  .245  .380  .513 1452   2  12  60  46  38
6 Seasons

Stats are accurate as of February 13, 2007.

Preceded by Andruw Jones

National League Player of the Month July, 2005

Succeeded by Andruw Jones

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