Adam Troy Dunn (born November 9, 1979 in Houston, Texas) is a left fielder in Major League Baseball who has played for the Cincinnati Reds since 2001. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.
In a four-season career, Dunn is a .249 hitter with 118 home runs and 273 RBI in 501 games. He was selected an All-Star in 2002.
At 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds, Dunn is the most imposing of the Cincinnati Reds' players and one of the most feared sluggers in the National League. His 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 (.512) and OPS (.894).
On September 30, 2004, Dunn got his name in Major League Baseball's record book. He struck out three times against Cubs righthander Mark Prior, raising his season total to 191 and becoming the all-time single-season record-holder. While tied for second in the NL with Albert Pujols with 46 home runs, Dunn surpassed the strikeout old mark of 189, set in 1970 by Bobby Bonds. He finished with 195.
Dunn's 46 homers overall last season, ranks fourth-most in the history of baseball's first professional franchise. He also became only the second player in team history to score 100 runs, drive in 100 and walk 100 times in a single season (Hall of Famer Joe Morgan is the other).
The high strikeout total is something of a mystery in Dunn's case. He is among the major league leaders every season in number of pitches per at-bat, an indication he knows when to swing and when to watch. Despite his career low batting average of .249, he has compiled a notable .382 on base percentage with a o.61 walk-to-strikeout ratio (348-to-565).
The goal for Dunn in 2005 is to reduce his high strikeouts rate. He fanned in more than one-third of his at-bats last season, a percentage that's simply unacceptable, except in the case of an one-dimensional player like Dave Kingman.
Hitting two homers on the opening day of the 2005 season, Dunn is already compiling even more knocks.
Fact
In 2004 Dunn hit a 535-foot home run, which ranks as one of the longest in the last 30 years; a drive that cleared the stands at Great American Ball Park, bounced on the street and came to rest on driftwood in the Ohio River.
Dunn was actually one of the top high school quarterbacks in Texas, and was offered a full athletic scholarship to play QB at the University of Texas. He decided instead to enter the MLB Amateur Draft.
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Last updated: 10-25-2005 03:08:38
