Photo Credit
This article was researched and compiled
by Carrie Birdsong
Born: November 9th, 1979
Birthplace: Houston, Texas
Position: Left Fielder / First Baseman
Batted: Left
Throws: Right
MLB Debut: July 20th, 2001, for the Cincinnati Reds
Last MLB Appearance: September 28th, for the
Birthplace: Houston, Texas
Position: Left Fielder / First Baseman
Batted: Left
Throws: Right
MLB Debut: July 20th, 2001, for the Cincinnati Reds
Last MLB Appearance: September 28th, for the
Oakland Athletics
MLB Statistics: Batting Average .237
Home Runs: 462
Runs Batted In: 1,168
Teams:
MLB Statistics: Batting Average .237
Home Runs: 462
Runs Batted In: 1,168
Teams:
1. Cincinnati Reds (2001 – 2008)
2. Arizona Diamondbacks (2008)
3. Washington Nationals (2009 – 2010)
4. Chicago White Sox (2011 – 2014)
5. Oakland Athletics (2014)
6. Career Highlights and Awards:
2. Arizona Diamondbacks (2008)
3. Washington Nationals (2009 – 2010)
4. Chicago White Sox (2011 – 2014)
5. Oakland Athletics (2014)
6. Career Highlights and Awards:
2x All–Star (2002, 2012)
7. Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame
Adam Dunn, nicknamed “Big Donkey”, is a former MLB left fielder and first baseman. He played 14 seasons in the MLB, primarily for the Cincinnati Reds. A two–time MLB All–Star, Dun was known for his prodigious power and his high propensity to strike out. He hit 38 or more runs in seven straight seasons, tied with Babe Ruth for the second–longest such streak in MLB history, and was 11th all–time in at-bats per home run at the time of his retirement. In addition, in 2004, he hit the fourth–longest home run in MLB history, a 535–foot blast that landed in a different state. However, he ranks third on the all–time strikeout list, with 2,379, and still holds the American League record for most strikeouts in a single season, with 222 in 2012.
Dunn’s statistical profile was highly unusual for its day; he walked, struck out, or homered in nearly half of his career plate appearances. Consistent with the principles of the then–emerging sabermetric movement, Dunn helped prove that a batter could significantly contribute to his team despite an unimpressive batting average. Today, he is considered one of the better hitters of his era. However, his defense was panned by both traditional scouting methods and modern defensive metrics. Jayson Stark called Dunn “the most unique baseball player who ever lived.”
Amateur Career
Dunn was a dual–sport athlete at New Caney High School near Houston, Texas, playing both baseball and football(1). Although Dunn was naturally right–handed, his father, Skip, taught him to bat left–handed after noticing that he hit for greater power as a lefty(2). Growing up, he cheered for the hometown Houston Astros(3). After he graduated from high school, the Cincinnati Reds drafted Dunn in the second round (50th overall) of the 1998 Major League Baseball draft.
New Caney retired Dunn’s football and baseball numbers in 2015(1). It also named its baseball field after him. (4)
Football Career
A standout football quarterback, Dunn went 24 – 9 in three seasons as a starter in high school and won the district championship his senior season. (1)
Dunn was recruited by Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Texas A&M (3) but committed to the Texas Longhorns football team as part of Mack Brown’s first recruiting class(1). He struck an agreement with the Cincinnati Reds, which allowed him to play for the Longhorns during the college football season. (5)
However, Dunn never played a snap in a competitive game. He redshirted his freshman season. Although he started the season as the number 3 quarterback, he found himself backing up Major Applewhite after Richard Walton was injured(3). With Applewhite entrenched in the starting role for the foreseeable future and star recruit Chris Simms arriving on campus, Dunn was asked to move to the tight end position in spring 1999(2)(6). He briefly practiced as a tight end, but ultimately left the Longhorns to concentrate on baseball(3). He called it “probably the hardest decision I’d ever had to make.”(7)
Minor Leagues
Dunn played four seasons in the minor leagues. Although he did not exhibit the drastically low batting averages of his major league career – he never batted lower than .281 – he showed strong plate discipline at an early age, and never posted an on–base percentage lower than .404.(8)
The Reds offered to promote Dunn straight from A–ball to the major leagues near the end of the 1999 season (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cup_of_coffee_
7. Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame
Adam Dunn, nicknamed “Big Donkey”, is a former MLB left fielder and first baseman. He played 14 seasons in the MLB, primarily for the Cincinnati Reds. A two–time MLB All–Star, Dun was known for his prodigious power and his high propensity to strike out. He hit 38 or more runs in seven straight seasons, tied with Babe Ruth for the second–longest such streak in MLB history, and was 11th all–time in at-bats per home run at the time of his retirement. In addition, in 2004, he hit the fourth–longest home run in MLB history, a 535–foot blast that landed in a different state. However, he ranks third on the all–time strikeout list, with 2,379, and still holds the American League record for most strikeouts in a single season, with 222 in 2012.
Dunn’s statistical profile was highly unusual for its day; he walked, struck out, or homered in nearly half of his career plate appearances. Consistent with the principles of the then–emerging sabermetric movement, Dunn helped prove that a batter could significantly contribute to his team despite an unimpressive batting average. Today, he is considered one of the better hitters of his era. However, his defense was panned by both traditional scouting methods and modern defensive metrics. Jayson Stark called Dunn “the most unique baseball player who ever lived.”
Amateur Career
Dunn was a dual–sport athlete at New Caney High School near Houston, Texas, playing both baseball and football(1). Although Dunn was naturally right–handed, his father, Skip, taught him to bat left–handed after noticing that he hit for greater power as a lefty(2). Growing up, he cheered for the hometown Houston Astros(3). After he graduated from high school, the Cincinnati Reds drafted Dunn in the second round (50th overall) of the 1998 Major League Baseball draft.
New Caney retired Dunn’s football and baseball numbers in 2015(1). It also named its baseball field after him. (4)
Football Career
A standout football quarterback, Dunn went 24 – 9 in three seasons as a starter in high school and won the district championship his senior season. (1)
Dunn was recruited by Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Texas A&M (3) but committed to the Texas Longhorns football team as part of Mack Brown’s first recruiting class(1). He struck an agreement with the Cincinnati Reds, which allowed him to play for the Longhorns during the college football season. (5)
However, Dunn never played a snap in a competitive game. He redshirted his freshman season. Although he started the season as the number 3 quarterback, he found himself backing up Major Applewhite after Richard Walton was injured(3). With Applewhite entrenched in the starting role for the foreseeable future and star recruit Chris Simms arriving on campus, Dunn was asked to move to the tight end position in spring 1999(2)(6). He briefly practiced as a tight end, but ultimately left the Longhorns to concentrate on baseball(3). He called it “probably the hardest decision I’d ever had to make.”(7)
Minor Leagues
Dunn played four seasons in the minor leagues. Although he did not exhibit the drastically low batting averages of his major league career – he never batted lower than .281 – he showed strong plate discipline at an early age, and never posted an on–base percentage lower than .404.(8)
The Reds offered to promote Dunn straight from A–ball to the major leagues near the end of the 1999 season (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cup_of_coffee_
(sports_idiom), But Dunn declined the call–up, preferring to focus on refining his swing(7). The Reds also invited Dunn to major league spring training, where infielder Chris Sexton gave him the nickname “Big Donkey”.(9)(10)
Entering the 2001 season, Dunn was ranked highly by several Minor League Baseball analysts. John Sickels ranked Dunn at number 18 in the nation(11), and Baseball America ranked him at number 33(12). He had a banner year. He was promoted to Double-A – A to start the season and dominated, hitting 12 home runs and drawing 24 walks in 39 games. He was quickly promoted to Triple-A-A-A-A-A-A-A – A, where he continued his hot streak, hitting 20 home runs and drawing 38 walks in 55 games(8). He was invited to the All–Star Futures Game, where he hit a 400–foot home run(7). He reached the major leagues by July.
The Reds called up Dunn to the majors on July 20th, 2001(13). He promptly set a National League rookie record for the most home runs in a month by hitting 12 in August; 2 the record stood for 16 years, until Cody Bellinger hit 13 home runs in June 2017(14). In his rookie season, Dunn played in 66 games, batting .262 with 19 home runs and 43 RBIs. Dunn received a single vote in the 2001 National League Rookie of the Year voting, tying him for fourth place with Bud Smith. (15)
In 2002, Dunn hit .249 with 26 home runs and 76 RBIs as well as a career–high 128 walks and a .400 on–base percentage. At mid–season, Dunn was hitting .300 with 17 home runs and 54 RBIs, earning him a selection to the 2002 National League All–Star team. In that game, Dunn hit a ball to center field that was a few feet from being a game-ending home run (the game famously ended in a tie). He also walked in his only other plate appearance.
Dunn’s 2003 season was a steep decline from his previous All–Star campaign as he hit just .215 with 27 home runs and 57 RBIs. Along with his struggles at the plate, Dunn led all major league outfielders in errors, with 10 (16), and suffered a thumb sprain while attempting a diving catch in mid–August that forced him to miss the remainder of the season.
Dunn’s most productive season came in 2004, when he posted career highs in batting average (.266), home runs (105), hits (151), slugging percentage (.569), and on–base plus slugging (OPS) (.957). On September 30th, 2004, Dunn once again got his name in Major League Baseball’s record book. 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 strikeout record of 189, set in 1970. He finished the season with 195 strikeouts and had a strikeout percentage of 34.3% (17), both of which led all of MLB. He held the record until Ryan Howard broke it on September 27th, 2007. On August 10th, 2004, Dunn hit the longest home run in the history of Great American Ball Park, a 535 – foot blast to straightaway center that went over the batter’s eye and off Mehring Way into a section of the Ohio River that is considered part of Kentucky(18)(19). As of May 2024, it is the fourth–longest home run in MLB history, and the longest since 1971. (20)
Dunn’s 46 home runs 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 player to score 100 runs, drive 100 runs, and draw 100 walks in a single season.
Dunn’s 2005 season was similar to the previous year, with a slight dip in production as he hit .247 with 40 home runs and 101 RBIs while once again leading in strikeouts (168) and strikeout percentage (30.9%). By reaching the 40-home run plateau for a second consecutive season, Dunn became the fourth player in Reds history to hit 40 home runs in multiple seasons.
Prior to the start of the 2006 season, Dunn signed a 2–year, $18 million extension that bought out his final two years of arbitration, as well as a club option for a third year in 2008(21). Dunn once again hit 40 home runs, but once again saw a decrease in his average (.234) and RBIs (92). For the third consecutive season, Dunn led all of MLB in strikeouts (194) and strikeout percentage (34.6%). He also led all major league outfielders in errors, with 12, and had the lowest fielding percentage among left fielders, at .960.(16)(22)
On June 30th of that season, Dunn made Cincinnati headlines with one of the biggest home runs of his career, a walk–off grand slam to cap a 9–run rally to beat the Indians, which kept the Reds tied atop the NL Central with St. Louis. (23)
During a lengthy rain delay on July 21st, 2006, Dunn made a prank call from the clubhouse to Reds radio announcer Marty Brennaman. Brennaman was filling air time by taking calls from listeners, a segment he dubbed “The Banana Phone”(24). Dunn, who identified himself as “Adam from Milwaukee” and spoke in a goofy voice, asked Brennaman if he thought Reds’ first baseman Scott Hatteberg was a good player, then asked the announcer was wearing a shirt. The clip went viral and is frequently replayed on Cincinnati radio(25). In a 2012 poll, Reds fans voted the segment their all–time favorite “off–beat Marty” call. (26)
2007 was a return to form for Dunn as he hit .264 while reaching the 40-home run and 100 RBI plateaus again, becoming the first and only Red to hit 40 home runs in four consecutive seasons. On October 31st, 2007, Dunn’s $13 million option was picked up by the Reds, making him the highest–paid player on the team. (27)
Going into the final season under contract, Dunn hit .233 with 32 home runs and 74 RBIs before being traded to Arizona.
In his 8 seasons with Cincinnati, Dunn hit 270 home runs with 646 RBIs, 755 walks, and 1,212 strikeouts, all of which were within the top ten in team history.
In 2018, he was named to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. (28)
Arizona Diamondbacks
On August 11th, 2008, Dunn was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for right–handed pitcher Dallas Buck and two players to be named later(29). The two players were catcher Wilkin Castillo and pitcher Micah Owings. (30)
In 2008, he walked 19.1% of the time, the highest percentage in major league baseball; however, he also struck out 164 times in 651 plate appearances, giving him a strikeout percentage of 31.7%(31). Defensively, he had the lowest fielding percentage of all starting major league left fielders, .968, and committed more errors (7) than any other National League left fielder. (32)
In his time with Arizona in 2008, Dunn hit .243 with 8 home runs and 26 RBIs, while walking 42 times and striking out 44. Overall, between Cincinnati and Arizona, Dunn hit .236, while once again reaching exactly 40 home runs and 100 RBIs.
Washington Nationals
On February 11th, 2009, Dunn agreed to a two–year, $20 million deal with the Washington Nationals(33)(34). In his first game as a National, he hit a home run and had four RBIs. On July 4th, 2009, he hit his 300th career home run(35). During the 2009 season, Dunn transitioned to first base(36). For the year, Dunn hit .267 with 38 home runs and 105 RBIs.
On July 10th, 2010, Dunn hit three home runs in a single game for the first time in his career as the Nationals beat the Pirates 7 – 6. He hit a three–run homer and two solo homers to join Alfonso Soriano as the only Nationals players to accomplish the feat at the time. (37)
For the 2010 season, Dunn saw a slight decrease in productivity from 2009, as he hit .260 with 38 home runs and 103 RBIs, but his walk rate dropped from 17.4% to 11.9% while his strikeout rate climbed from 26.5% to 30.7%.
Chicago White Sox
On December 2nd, 2010, Dunn agreed to a four–year, $56 million deal with the Chicago White Sox(38)(39). On April 6th, 2011, Dunn underwent an appendectomy, which caused him to miss five games. Before the appendectomy, Dunn was hitting .286 with a home run and 5 RBIs. However, after returning, Dunn struggled drastically, leading to reduced playing time as the year proceeded. He ended the season with a .159 average, .292 on–base percentage, .277 slugging percentage, .569 OPS, and 177 strikeouts, hitting only 11 home runs and recording 42 RBIs, putting together by far the worst season of his career(40). The 177 strikeouts set a new White Sox team record for most strikeouts in a season by a batter, beating the previous record of 175 held by Dave Nicholson(41). Dunn’s 2011 campaign was by far the worst of any player in the majors, as he batted .159 in 496 appearances at the plate. He fell six plate appearances short, however, in having the worst batting average to qualify for the batting title since Bill Bergen had hit .139 as a starter for the 1909 Brooklyn Superbas.
Through 2011, he led all active left fielders in career errors, totaling 60 errors. (42)
Frustrated by his poor performance in 2011, Dunn pledged to change his offseason preparation so as to “not let this happen again.”(43) By the end of May 2012, Dunn surpassed his entire home run total from the year before and was leading the American League in walks.
In 2012, Dunn struck out in 36 straight games, a record for a position player until 2017, when Yankees rookie Aaron Judge struck out in 37 straight games(44). On July 1st, Dunn was elected by his peers to the 83rd All–Star Game in Kansas City, his second career All–Star selection and one of four White Sox selections on the season(45). On July 24th, Dunn became the fourth left–handed White Sox player to hit 30 home runs in a season, joining Oscar Gamble, Robin Ventura, and Jim Thome(46). He recorded his 1,000th RBI on August 13th. In a game against the Kansas City Royals on August 18th, Dunn hit his 35th home run of the season and 400th in his career when he connected on a two–run shot in the eighth inning, becoming the 50th MLB player to hit 400 home runs(47)(48). Dunn finished the 2012 season with a .204 batting average, 41 home runs, and 96 RBIs. He also led the majors with walks (105) and strikeouts (222). He became only the 3rd player to join the 200-strikeout club, and his number of strikeouts established a new American League record, falling just one short of the major league record set by Mark Reynolds in 2009.
On August 5th, 2014, much to the delight of the remaining fans at U.S. Cellular Field and members of the White Sox dugout, Dunn pitched the top of the ninth inning during a demoralizing blowout loss of 16 – 0 to the Texas Rangers. Dunn’s outing marked his first career pitching appearance, and he didn’t disappoint, as the power-hitting DH landed his first pitch, a 78–mph fastball, for a called strike to Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus. With Dunn taking the mound and Leury Garcia pitching earlier on April 16th, it marked the first time since 1979 that position players pitched in two games in the same season for the White Sox. (49)
Oakland Athletics
The White Sox traded Dunn to the Oakland Athletics on August 31st, 2014, in exchange for Nolan Sanburn(50). Hours after the trade was announced, Dunn announced he would “probably” retire after the 2014 season(51). On September 1st, Dunn made his first plate appearance with Oakland and hit a two–run home run against the Seattle Mariners. He became the 12th player in Athletics history to hit a home run in his first at–bat with the organization(52). After a few productive games early on with the A’s, Dunn’s performance declined and became similar to his time in Chicago. In 25 games with Oakland, he batted .212 with a .316 on–base percentage, two home runs, and 10 RBIs(53). Dunn is one of fourteen players to have played 2,000 games without making the postseason, as Dunn played in 2,001 games, which was the longest for any active player at the time of his retirement(54). On the last day of the season, the Athletics clinched the second AL Wild Card spot, which meant he was on a postseason roster for the first (and last) time(55)(56). However, he did not make an appearance in the AL Wild Card Game, which ended with a 9 – 8 loss to the Kansas City Royals. Dunn confirmed his retirement after the game. (53)
International Career
On March 1st, 2009, Dunn joined the United States team for the 2009 World Baseball Classic at the late request of coach Davey Johnson(57). On March 7th, 2009, first – first-round game against Canada in Toronto, he hit a two–run home run and batted in a run on a sacrifice fly play(58). On March 8th, Dunn scored on a three–run triple by Chris Iannetta, and had a solo home run against Venezuela. (59)
Post–playing Career
Dunn was selected to appear on the ballot for the 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame vote, but was eliminated in his first year of eligibility. He was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2018. (60)
Dunn helped establish and manage Marucci Elite Texas, a traveling club team that competes in national club baseball competitions. (61)
For more in–depth statistics on Adam Dunn, click here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dunnad01.shtml
References:
1. Koch, Joshua (August 29, 2015). "FEATURE:
Entering the 2001 season, Dunn was ranked highly by several Minor League Baseball analysts. John Sickels ranked Dunn at number 18 in the nation(11), and Baseball America ranked him at number 33(12). He had a banner year. He was promoted to Double-A – A to start the season and dominated, hitting 12 home runs and drawing 24 walks in 39 games. He was quickly promoted to Triple-A-A-A-A-A-A-A – A, where he continued his hot streak, hitting 20 home runs and drawing 38 walks in 55 games(8). He was invited to the All–Star Futures Game, where he hit a 400–foot home run(7). He reached the major leagues by July.
Professional Career
Cincinnati RedsThe Reds called up Dunn to the majors on July 20th, 2001(13). He promptly set a National League rookie record for the most home runs in a month by hitting 12 in August; 2 the record stood for 16 years, until Cody Bellinger hit 13 home runs in June 2017(14). In his rookie season, Dunn played in 66 games, batting .262 with 19 home runs and 43 RBIs. Dunn received a single vote in the 2001 National League Rookie of the Year voting, tying him for fourth place with Bud Smith. (15)
In 2002, Dunn hit .249 with 26 home runs and 76 RBIs as well as a career–high 128 walks and a .400 on–base percentage. At mid–season, Dunn was hitting .300 with 17 home runs and 54 RBIs, earning him a selection to the 2002 National League All–Star team. In that game, Dunn hit a ball to center field that was a few feet from being a game-ending home run (the game famously ended in a tie). He also walked in his only other plate appearance.
Dunn’s 2003 season was a steep decline from his previous All–Star campaign as he hit just .215 with 27 home runs and 57 RBIs. Along with his struggles at the plate, Dunn led all major league outfielders in errors, with 10 (16), and suffered a thumb sprain while attempting a diving catch in mid–August that forced him to miss the remainder of the season.
Dunn’s most productive season came in 2004, when he posted career highs in batting average (.266), home runs (105), hits (151), slugging percentage (.569), and on–base plus slugging (OPS) (.957). On September 30th, 2004, Dunn once again got his name in Major League Baseball’s record book. 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 strikeout record of 189, set in 1970. He finished the season with 195 strikeouts and had a strikeout percentage of 34.3% (17), both of which led all of MLB. He held the record until Ryan Howard broke it on September 27th, 2007. On August 10th, 2004, Dunn hit the longest home run in the history of Great American Ball Park, a 535 – foot blast to straightaway center that went over the batter’s eye and off Mehring Way into a section of the Ohio River that is considered part of Kentucky(18)(19). As of May 2024, it is the fourth–longest home run in MLB history, and the longest since 1971. (20)
Dunn’s 46 home runs 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 player to score 100 runs, drive 100 runs, and draw 100 walks in a single season.
Dunn’s 2005 season was similar to the previous year, with a slight dip in production as he hit .247 with 40 home runs and 101 RBIs while once again leading in strikeouts (168) and strikeout percentage (30.9%). By reaching the 40-home run plateau for a second consecutive season, Dunn became the fourth player in Reds history to hit 40 home runs in multiple seasons.
Prior to the start of the 2006 season, Dunn signed a 2–year, $18 million extension that bought out his final two years of arbitration, as well as a club option for a third year in 2008(21). Dunn once again hit 40 home runs, but once again saw a decrease in his average (.234) and RBIs (92). For the third consecutive season, Dunn led all of MLB in strikeouts (194) and strikeout percentage (34.6%). He also led all major league outfielders in errors, with 12, and had the lowest fielding percentage among left fielders, at .960.(16)(22)
On June 30th of that season, Dunn made Cincinnati headlines with one of the biggest home runs of his career, a walk–off grand slam to cap a 9–run rally to beat the Indians, which kept the Reds tied atop the NL Central with St. Louis. (23)
During a lengthy rain delay on July 21st, 2006, Dunn made a prank call from the clubhouse to Reds radio announcer Marty Brennaman. Brennaman was filling air time by taking calls from listeners, a segment he dubbed “The Banana Phone”(24). Dunn, who identified himself as “Adam from Milwaukee” and spoke in a goofy voice, asked Brennaman if he thought Reds’ first baseman Scott Hatteberg was a good player, then asked the announcer was wearing a shirt. The clip went viral and is frequently replayed on Cincinnati radio(25). In a 2012 poll, Reds fans voted the segment their all–time favorite “off–beat Marty” call. (26)
2007 was a return to form for Dunn as he hit .264 while reaching the 40-home run and 100 RBI plateaus again, becoming the first and only Red to hit 40 home runs in four consecutive seasons. On October 31st, 2007, Dunn’s $13 million option was picked up by the Reds, making him the highest–paid player on the team. (27)
Going into the final season under contract, Dunn hit .233 with 32 home runs and 74 RBIs before being traded to Arizona.
In his 8 seasons with Cincinnati, Dunn hit 270 home runs with 646 RBIs, 755 walks, and 1,212 strikeouts, all of which were within the top ten in team history.
In 2018, he was named to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. (28)
Arizona Diamondbacks
On August 11th, 2008, Dunn was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for right–handed pitcher Dallas Buck and two players to be named later(29). The two players were catcher Wilkin Castillo and pitcher Micah Owings. (30)
In 2008, he walked 19.1% of the time, the highest percentage in major league baseball; however, he also struck out 164 times in 651 plate appearances, giving him a strikeout percentage of 31.7%(31). Defensively, he had the lowest fielding percentage of all starting major league left fielders, .968, and committed more errors (7) than any other National League left fielder. (32)
In his time with Arizona in 2008, Dunn hit .243 with 8 home runs and 26 RBIs, while walking 42 times and striking out 44. Overall, between Cincinnati and Arizona, Dunn hit .236, while once again reaching exactly 40 home runs and 100 RBIs.
Washington Nationals
On February 11th, 2009, Dunn agreed to a two–year, $20 million deal with the Washington Nationals(33)(34). In his first game as a National, he hit a home run and had four RBIs. On July 4th, 2009, he hit his 300th career home run(35). During the 2009 season, Dunn transitioned to first base(36). For the year, Dunn hit .267 with 38 home runs and 105 RBIs.
On July 10th, 2010, Dunn hit three home runs in a single game for the first time in his career as the Nationals beat the Pirates 7 – 6. He hit a three–run homer and two solo homers to join Alfonso Soriano as the only Nationals players to accomplish the feat at the time. (37)
For the 2010 season, Dunn saw a slight decrease in productivity from 2009, as he hit .260 with 38 home runs and 103 RBIs, but his walk rate dropped from 17.4% to 11.9% while his strikeout rate climbed from 26.5% to 30.7%.
Chicago White Sox
On December 2nd, 2010, Dunn agreed to a four–year, $56 million deal with the Chicago White Sox(38)(39). On April 6th, 2011, Dunn underwent an appendectomy, which caused him to miss five games. Before the appendectomy, Dunn was hitting .286 with a home run and 5 RBIs. However, after returning, Dunn struggled drastically, leading to reduced playing time as the year proceeded. He ended the season with a .159 average, .292 on–base percentage, .277 slugging percentage, .569 OPS, and 177 strikeouts, hitting only 11 home runs and recording 42 RBIs, putting together by far the worst season of his career(40). The 177 strikeouts set a new White Sox team record for most strikeouts in a season by a batter, beating the previous record of 175 held by Dave Nicholson(41). Dunn’s 2011 campaign was by far the worst of any player in the majors, as he batted .159 in 496 appearances at the plate. He fell six plate appearances short, however, in having the worst batting average to qualify for the batting title since Bill Bergen had hit .139 as a starter for the 1909 Brooklyn Superbas.
Through 2011, he led all active left fielders in career errors, totaling 60 errors. (42)
Frustrated by his poor performance in 2011, Dunn pledged to change his offseason preparation so as to “not let this happen again.”(43) By the end of May 2012, Dunn surpassed his entire home run total from the year before and was leading the American League in walks.
In 2012, Dunn struck out in 36 straight games, a record for a position player until 2017, when Yankees rookie Aaron Judge struck out in 37 straight games(44). On July 1st, Dunn was elected by his peers to the 83rd All–Star Game in Kansas City, his second career All–Star selection and one of four White Sox selections on the season(45). On July 24th, Dunn became the fourth left–handed White Sox player to hit 30 home runs in a season, joining Oscar Gamble, Robin Ventura, and Jim Thome(46). He recorded his 1,000th RBI on August 13th. In a game against the Kansas City Royals on August 18th, Dunn hit his 35th home run of the season and 400th in his career when he connected on a two–run shot in the eighth inning, becoming the 50th MLB player to hit 400 home runs(47)(48). Dunn finished the 2012 season with a .204 batting average, 41 home runs, and 96 RBIs. He also led the majors with walks (105) and strikeouts (222). He became only the 3rd player to join the 200-strikeout club, and his number of strikeouts established a new American League record, falling just one short of the major league record set by Mark Reynolds in 2009.
On August 5th, 2014, much to the delight of the remaining fans at U.S. Cellular Field and members of the White Sox dugout, Dunn pitched the top of the ninth inning during a demoralizing blowout loss of 16 – 0 to the Texas Rangers. Dunn’s outing marked his first career pitching appearance, and he didn’t disappoint, as the power-hitting DH landed his first pitch, a 78–mph fastball, for a called strike to Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus. With Dunn taking the mound and Leury Garcia pitching earlier on April 16th, it marked the first time since 1979 that position players pitched in two games in the same season for the White Sox. (49)
Oakland Athletics
The White Sox traded Dunn to the Oakland Athletics on August 31st, 2014, in exchange for Nolan Sanburn(50). Hours after the trade was announced, Dunn announced he would “probably” retire after the 2014 season(51). On September 1st, Dunn made his first plate appearance with Oakland and hit a two–run home run against the Seattle Mariners. He became the 12th player in Athletics history to hit a home run in his first at–bat with the organization(52). After a few productive games early on with the A’s, Dunn’s performance declined and became similar to his time in Chicago. In 25 games with Oakland, he batted .212 with a .316 on–base percentage, two home runs, and 10 RBIs(53). Dunn is one of fourteen players to have played 2,000 games without making the postseason, as Dunn played in 2,001 games, which was the longest for any active player at the time of his retirement(54). On the last day of the season, the Athletics clinched the second AL Wild Card spot, which meant he was on a postseason roster for the first (and last) time(55)(56). However, he did not make an appearance in the AL Wild Card Game, which ended with a 9 – 8 loss to the Kansas City Royals. Dunn confirmed his retirement after the game. (53)
International Career
On March 1st, 2009, Dunn joined the United States team for the 2009 World Baseball Classic at the late request of coach Davey Johnson(57). On March 7th, 2009, first – first-round game against Canada in Toronto, he hit a two–run home run and batted in a run on a sacrifice fly play(58). On March 8th, Dunn scored on a three–run triple by Chris Iannetta, and had a solo home run against Venezuela. (59)
Post–playing Career
Dunn was selected to appear on the ballot for the 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame vote, but was eliminated in his first year of eligibility. He was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2018. (60)
Dunn helped establish and manage Marucci Elite Texas, a traveling club team that competes in national club baseball competitions. (61)
For more in–depth statistics on Adam Dunn, click here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dunnad01.shtml
References:
1. Koch, Joshua (August 29, 2015). "FEATURE:
former Eagle". The Courier of Montgomery
2002). "Country Mile". Sports Illustrated.
baseball". USA Today - Baseball Weekly.
Courier of Montgomery County. Retrieved
Cincinnati Reds". Chron. Retrieved
League Baseball. Retrieved November 18,
2009). "Path of the Pros: Adam Dunn".
Minor League Baseball. Retrieved
Minor League Baseball. Retrieved
baseball". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 19,
Out". New York Times. Retrieved October 1,
Prospects of 2001". Minor League Ball.
- The Baseball Cube". www.thebaseballcube.
Edinson Volquez, Jay Bell". The Enquirer.
Retrieved December 3, 2024.
14. Nicholson, Corey (December 8, 2020).
14. Nicholson, Corey (December 8, 2020).
com. Sports Reference. Retrieved
in the Ohio River". WCPO-TV. July 13,
2015. Archived from the original on
January 10, 2016. Retrieved November 14,
July 13, 2015. Retrieved November 14,
Fielding Statistics". ESPN. Retrieved
Cincinnati Enquirer. May 2, 2014. Retrieved
com. March 4, 2015. Archived from the
original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 4,
2012. Archived from the original on May 15,
ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 31,
D-backs acquire slugger". Arizona.diamond
backs.mlb.com. Archived from the original
Rumors, Fantasy Games, and more". Sports.
yahoo.com. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved
ESPN. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
33. Tom Verducci, SI.com (February 11, 2009).
33. Tom Verducci, SI.com (February 11, 2009).
million deal". Sports Illustrated. Archived
from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved
$20M deal". Mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved
career homer". MLB.com. Archived from the
original on May 27, 2011. Retrieved July 4,
to two-year, $20M deal". Mlb.mlb.com.
hat trick of homers to lift Nats". MLB.com.
Archived from the original on April 6, 2012.
bring back Konerko". Chicago Tribune.
Archived from the original on January 19,
from the original on February 25, 2007.
Committed as LF (s.1908)". Baseball-
Reference.com.
43. Gonzales, Mark (August 8, 2011).
43. Gonzales, Mark (August 8, 2011).
Tribune. Archived from the original on
September 7, 2014. Retrieved May 26,
games". NBC Sports. Retrieved
September 9, 2017.
45. Von Schouwen, Daryl (July 1, 2012).
45. Von Schouwen, Daryl (July 1, 2012).
com. Archived from the original on
July 28, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
47. Falkoff, Robert (August 18, 2012).
47. Falkoff, Robert (August 18, 2012).
but no win". MLB.com. Retrieved
- CBSSports.com". Archived from the
Chicago. Comcast Sports Network
Chicago. Archived from the original on
August 8, 2014. Retrieved September 3,
Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 31,
in victory over Mariners". Fox Sports.
ESPN.com. Archived from the original on
win". mercurynews.com. Mercury News.
rangersblog.dallasnews.com. Dallas News.
Archived from the original on October 2,
The Washington Post. March 2, 2009.
worldbaseballclassic.com. March 8,
2009. Archived from the original on
February 16, 2012. Retrieved August 20,
2010.
60. Buchanan, Zach (November 29, 2017).
60. Buchanan, Zach (November 29, 2017).
Fame". The Enquirer. Retrieved
USA Baseball". www.usabaseball.com.
June 22, 2023. Retrieved November 18,
2024.
