Adam Dunn
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From: David Short on 23 May 2007 22:21 "tom dunne" <NOSPAMdunnetg(a)gmail.com> > Chuck wrote: >> You know I really like him but he has struck out 55 times already, and it >> just May, Makes me long for Austin Kerns at least he seemed to make >> contact more.. > > As of right now, Adam Dunn is batting 20 points *better* than Austin > Kearns. But Tom......Strikeouts!!!! dfs
From: coachrose13 on 25 May 2007 02:34 On May 23, 10:21 pm, "David Short" <David.NO.Sh...(a)Wright.SPAM.Edu.PLEASE> wrote: > "tom dunne" <NOSPAMdunn...(a)gmail.com> > > > Chuck wrote: > >> You know I really like him but he has struck out 55 times already, and it > >> just May, Makes me long for Austin Kerns at least he seemed to make > >> contact more.. > > > As of right now, Adam Dunn is batting 20 points *better* than Austin > > Kearns. > > But Tom......Strikeouts!!!! > > dfs Dunn is certainly not the first player in major league history to be a big homer, high-strike-out, below-average fielder. It certainly is not his fault the Reds have not been successful during his career at Cincinnati, and it certainly would not be the first time a manager would have to make decisions as to how to utilize a player's ability to the max while helping his team to be a winner. Personally, I would bat Dunn in the six hole and keep him there, even when he was hitting the ball well. That way, you minimize the damage his many strikeouts would cause if he were hitting higher in the line-up, but you would still get good productivity from him when he is hitting well. I would also ALWAYS replace him in close games on defense late in the game. It would not always work out, but I believe most of the time it would. Of course, you could always resort to trading him to a couple of sore armed relief pitchers!
From: Kevin McClave on 25 May 2007 07:21 On 24 May 2007 23:34:09 -0700, coachrose13(a)hotmail.com wrote: >On May 23, 10:21 pm, "David Short" ><David.NO.Sh...(a)Wright.SPAM.Edu.PLEASE> wrote: >> "tom dunne" <NOSPAMdunn...(a)gmail.com> >> >> > Chuck wrote: >> >> You know I really like him but he has struck out 55 times already, and it >> >> just May, Makes me long for Austin Kerns at least he seemed to make >> >> contact more.. >> >> > As of right now, Adam Dunn is batting 20 points *better* than Austin >> > Kearns. >> >> But Tom......Strikeouts!!!! >> >> dfs > >Dunn is certainly not the first player in major league history to be a >big homer, high-strike-out, below-average fielder. It certainly is >not his fault the Reds have not been successful during his career at >Cincinnati, and it certainly would not be the first time a manager >would have to make decisions as to how to utilize a player's ability >to the max while helping his team to be a winner. Personally, I would >bat Dunn in the six hole and keep him there, even when he was hitting >the ball well. That way, you minimize the damage his many strikeouts >would cause if he were hitting higher in the line-up, but you would >still get good productivity from him when he is hitting well. I would >also ALWAYS replace him in close games on defense late in the game. It >would not always work out, but I believe most of the time it would. Of >course, you could always resort to trading him to a couple of sore >armed relief pitchers! In the critiques of Dunn over the years I've always had to point out that Dunn also walks a lot. People tend to focus on him as an either/or HR or K guy, and that is too simplistic. He ain't Dave Kingman's clone, though many have tried to paint him as such. That makes him significantly more valuable and also a freak of the game. We don't really have much of anyone with which to compare him. I don't know about bating him sixth...I think it's problematic; who are you going to bat behind him? You trade in him not driving in guys with sacrifice flies when he Ks for him getting stranded all the time himself with his usually team leading OBP. Because he's a freak, he isn't likely going to fit in to a traditional prototype for a spot in the order. I think I would tend toward bating him fourth or fifth...probably fourth with Griffey behind him when he's able to play and hitting well. As you try out different lineups in your head, though, you realize that there's no true 3 hitter in this lineup...not a dependable one anyway (Griff when he;s healthy and hot can do that). The middle of the order should be Dun and Griffey when he can and that's only 1 and a half men for three slots. I think you also touched on an interesting point: it isn't Dunn's fault that he's routinely their best offensive player, any more than it was Paul Wilson's fault he was their best starting pitcher for a couple of years. Adam Dunn is an offensive weapon and a player with significant value. He isn't the problem, the problem is that he's one of the only offensive weapons they actually have. If you remove him from the Reds they are probably the worst team in baseball...oh, wait... ****************************************************************** Kevin McClave "To justify himself, each relies on the other's crime." ~Albert Camus ******************************************************************
From: David Short on 25 May 2007 08:54 coachrose13(a)hotmail.com wrote: > On May 23, 10:21 pm, "David Short" > <David.NO.Sh...(a)Wright.SPAM.Edu.PLEASE> wrote: >> "tom dunne" <NOSPAMdunn...(a)gmail.com> >> >>> Chuck wrote: >>>> You know I really like him but he has struck out 55 times already, and it >>>> just May, Makes me long for Austin Kerns at least he seemed to make >>>> contact more.. >>> As of right now, Adam Dunn is batting 20 points *better* than Austin >>> Kearns. >> But Tom......Strikeouts!!!! >> >> dfs > > Dunn is certainly not the first player in major league history to be a > big homer, high-strike-out, below-average fielder. It certainly is > not his fault the Reds have not been successful during his career at > Cincinnati, and it certainly would not be the first time a manager > would have to make decisions as to how to utilize a player's ability > to the max while helping his team to be a winner. dude, we're in perfect agreement. I was joshin with tom. > Personally, I would > bat Dunn in the six hole and keep him there, even when he was hitting > the ball well. That way, you minimize the damage his many strikeouts > would cause if he were hitting higher in the line-up, but you would > still get good productivity from him when he is hitting well. The problem with batting Dunn 6th is that you better be damn sure your 7 and 8 hole hitters are somebody the other team respects, because if they aren't Adam will never see a strike. Adam should be hitting in the 3 or 4 hole. Frankly, he should be leading off or hitting 2nd before he drops to 6. No. This time I'm not joshin. > I would > also ALWAYS replace him in close games on defense late in the game. It > would not always work out, but I believe most of the time it would. I'm not absolutely convinced this is the best course of action. I could be convinced. > Of > course, you could always resort to trading him to a couple of sore > armed relief pitchers! Nobody would do....wait, yeah they might. dfs
From: Dan Szymborski on 25 May 2007 10:31
In article <f36m3a$vu7$1(a)posting.glorb.com>, David.no.Short(a)Spam.Wright.Please.edu says... > coachrose13(a)hotmail.com wrote: > > On May 23, 10:21 pm, "David Short" > > <David.NO.Sh...(a)Wright.SPAM.Edu.PLEASE> wrote: > >> "tom dunne" <NOSPAMdunn...(a)gmail.com> > >> > >>> Chuck wrote: > >>>> You know I really like him but he has struck out 55 times already, and it > >>>> just May, Makes me long for Austin Kerns at least he seemed to make > >>>> contact more.. > >>> As of right now, Adam Dunn is batting 20 points *better* than Austin > >>> Kearns. > >> But Tom......Strikeouts!!!! > >> > >> dfs > > > > Dunn is certainly not the first player in major league history to be a > > big homer, high-strike-out, below-average fielder. It certainly is > > not his fault the Reds have not been successful during his career at > > Cincinnati, and it certainly would not be the first time a manager > > would have to make decisions as to how to utilize a player's ability > > to the max while helping his team to be a winner. > dude, we're in perfect agreement. I was joshin with tom. > > > Personally, I would > > bat Dunn in the six hole and keep him there, even when he was hitting > > the ball well. That way, you minimize the damage his many strikeouts > > would cause if he were hitting higher in the line-up, but you would > > still get good productivity from him when he is hitting well. > > The problem with batting Dunn 6th is that you better be damn sure your 7 > and 8 hole hitters are somebody the other team respects, because if they > aren't Adam will never see a strike. Adam should be hitting in the 3 or > 4 hole. Frankly, he should be leading off or hitting 2nd before he drops > to 6. No. This time I'm not joshin. I agree - I think he should hit 2nd. It's the best place to accentuate what Dunn does well - getting on-base and driving in runners from first and home (himself). Obviously, there's the conventional wisdom that the #2 batter should be a guy who makes productive outs, but there hasn't been the slightest bit of justification for that since Woodrow Wilson was president. Productive outs are the *least* valuable in the #2 slot since it's usually behind the person in the lineup that does the best at getting himself into scoring position *without* an out and ahead of the best hitters in the lineup that are the best at advancing runners. -- Dan Szymborski dan(a)baseballprimer.REMOVE.com "A critic who refuses to attack what is bad is not a whole-hearted supporter of what is good." - Robert Schumann |