Our first baseman of the future....

34Celtic · Post #1 » by **34Celtic** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 6:23 am

Adam Dunn (28 OF Cincinnati ...

Nevermind...I just looked at his stats on http://www.baseball-reference.com/d/dunnad01.shtml ...Watching him play it doesn't seem like he is that bad.

Also I know he is an outfielder but he is a freak athlete who has played frst base in the past.

Post #2 » by **HCYanks** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 1:58 pm

What are we trading to get Dunn?

He's another awesome hitter who's sometimes unfairly maligned by stupid sportswriters who can't do the rational thing and look at his low batting average in the context of more important stats. The dude's a Giambi/Abreu-esque walk machine and he's got great HR power. And he's only 27.

In other words, he probably won't come cheap. Then again, Wayne Krivsky was the one who did that moronic Austin Kearns trade last summer, so maybe he'll pull the same stupid stunt again if we dangle Scott Proctor and some low-level pitching prospect in front if him.

34Celtic · Post #3 » by **34Celtic** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 2:24 pm

He is a free agent after this summer. I would love to stick him at first base

Post #4 » by **HCYanks** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 2:26 pm

Ah, didn't notice. But yeah, i'm with you on the sign Adam Dunn bandwagon, assuming we can get him at a reasonable price.

Post #5 » by **HCYanks** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 2:32 pm

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring200 ... id=2786764

In fact, though, Schmidt -- who once whiffed 180 times in a season himself -- did say he saw a lot of himself in both Dunn and Burrell. But Schmidt also said he aspired his entire career to cut down those strikeouts and become a different kind of hitter than what he was early in his career.

"I think everyone does," said Dunn. "I don't want to be the kind of hitter I am. I know I'm better, and it's frustrating. It just tells you how hard the game is. I know it's in there. I've done it. It's in there, and it's coming out. I just don't know when."

I feel bad for the guy. Have people really convinced him he's a mediocre hitter?

cmaff051 · Post #6 » by **cmaff051** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 2:45 pm

He's not a mediocre hitter, but he certainly isn't great. We don't need any hitter that strikes out almost 200 times per year regardless of how many HRs he hits. I realize he takes his fair share of walks, but those strike outs are a red flag.

Mark Texiera is the guy I had in mind who would be the next first basemen here. He's young, a gold glove fielder, hits for power, hit for a decent average. He really is perfect for what we are trying to do here and I hope we go all out for him. He is a perfect fit in New York.

Jitpal · Post #7 » by **Jitpal** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 3:11 pm

I'd rather go after Texiera who is a free agent this offseason I believe. -Jitpal

34Celtic · Post #8 » by **34Celtic** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 3:31 pm

Jitpal wrote:I'd rather go after Texiera who is a free agent this offseason I believe. -Jitpal

Next year. He is great too, I just don't know if I can stand another year of Dougie fresh and Phelps. Whoever we bring in HAS TO BE ABLE TO FIELD. Giambi cost us enough in the post season in recent years.

Thing about Dunn is he doesn't swing the bat. He is a lot like Abreu in the fact that he takes a lot of pitches. He just doesn't make as much contact.

Post #9 » by **HCYanks** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 4:42 pm

Why, why, why do people keep insisting that hitter strikeout totals have some great meaning when they don't? Guess who was second in strikeouts last year? Ryan Howard. Yeah, that guy sucks ass. Other worthless hitters in the top 10 in K's in 2006 include Alfonso Soriano, Jason Bay, and Grady Sizemore.

Admittedly, Dunn had a down year last year by his standards, but he was still a perfectly serviceable player. In any case, 2006 was his second highest seasonal strikeout total. What did he do the year of his career high? .266/.388/.568 46 HRs.

Mark Teixeira's a very good hitter too, but i'm betting he gets a way bigger payday, mostly because people refuse to think rationally about players like Dunn.

Post #10 » by **HCYanks** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 4:46 pm

Oh, and as far as I can tell, the Reds have a $13mm team option on Dunn for next year, so no promises he's a FA... strong possibility though.

cmaff051 · Post #11 » by **cmaff051** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 4:53 pm

HCYanks wrote:Why, why, why do people keep insisting that hitter strikeout totals have some great meaning when they don't? Guess who was second in strikeouts last year? Ryan Howard. Yeah, that guy sucks ass. Other worthless hitters in the top 10 in K's in 2006 include Alfonso Soriano, Jason Bay, and Grady Sizemore.

Admittedly, Dunn had a down year last year by his standards, but he was still a perfectly serviceable player. In any case, 2006 was his second highest seasonal strikeout total. What did he do the year of his career high? .266/.388/.568 46 HRs.

Mark Teixeira's a very good hitter too, but i'm betting he gets a way bigger payday, mostly because people refuse to think rationally about players like Dunn.

Ryan Howard hits for a lot higher average than Adam Dunn ever has.

And when did I ever say Adam Dunn was a worthless hitter?

Post #12 » by **HCYanks** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 5:03 pm

Went off on a sarcastic rant. Sorry.

Dunn gets on base a lot via his walking prowess, and makes the most of it when he is hitting the ball. Players like Dunn are part of the reason batting average can be an incredibly misleading stat.

Post #13 » by **Basketball Jesus** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 5:11 pm

The BP guys have cooled off on their love for Dunn, mostly because players with his skill set (the

34Celtic · Post #14 » by **34Celtic** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 5:13 pm

Similar Batters through age 26....from baseball-reference.com

1. Darryl Strawberry (916)
2. Jose Canseco (907)
3. Reggie Jackson (906) *
4. Troy Glaus (898)
5. Tom Brunansky (897)
6. Roger Maris (890)
7. Rocky Colavito (888)
9. Harmon Killebrew (887) *
10. Tony Conigliaro (882)
11. Boog Powell (880)

Jitpal · Post #15 » by **Jitpal** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 5:33 pm

I really want Teixeira. He is a switch hitter who hits around .300 which is very good for 1B as evidenced by his two silver slugger awards. He destroys lefties and in this lineup that is huge. He is capable of hitting 35-40 home runs along with 100 or so RBIs. Let's also not forget this guy isn't Giambi in the field, he has won 2 gold gloves in the past two years. He is going to get a big pay day but we have Giambi and Moose comming off the books that year and we need a power hitter. Who better than a guy who can do other things than just hit home runs like other power hitters. -Jitpal

34Celtic · Post #16 » by **34Celtic** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 6:13 pm

Jitpal wrote:I really want Teixeira. He is a switch hitter who hits around .300 which is very good for 1B as evidenced by his two silver slugger awards. He destroys lefties and in this lineup that is huge. He is capable of hitting 35-40 home runs along with 100 or so RBIs. Let's also not forget this guy isn't Giambi in the field, he has won 2 gold gloves in the past two years. He is going to get a big pay day but we have Giambi and Moose comming off the books that year and we need a power hitter. Who better than a guy who can do other things than just hit home runs like other power hitters. -Jitpal

I'm a huge fan of him. He's going to cost $15-$20 million a year. I know he grew up idolizing Mattingly....Anyone know how he feels about Texas?

throwbackewing33 · Post #17 » by **throwbackewing33** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 6:36 pm

You really think Mark would get 15-20 mill? I would say 12 tops. I like him tho.

Jitpal · Post #18 » by **Jitpal** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 6:38 pm

34Celtic wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

I'm a huge fan of him. He's going to cost $15-$20 million a year. I know he grew up idolizing Mattingly....Anyone know how he feels about Texas?

Who cares what he feels about Texas. As badly as we are playing now, we are still going to be a better team than Texas. They still won't have pitching in two years unless something insane happens and we should have a solid staff and a solid bullpen at the least at that time. Plus, going into a new stadium the year after with Mattingly managing the team. As I said, I don't think the money will be the issue because in 2008 we lose a lot of our big bats in Abreu and Giambi plus who knows how healthy and effecient Damon and Matsui are because they are already showing signs of aging. So the money from Giambi coming off the books can go straight into Teixiera, espeically because we will need the bat. -Jitpal

Jitpal · Post #19 » by **Jitpal** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 6:40 pm

throwbackewing33 wrote:You really think Mark would get 15-20 mill? I would say 12 tops. I like him tho.

Switch hitting, gold glove, silver slugging and 40/100 players get way more than 12 per year. Plus, he will be what 28 or so. Boras as his agent. I'd be shocked with anything less than 18 million per year especially the way the current market is. -Jitpal

Jitpal · Post #20 » by **Jitpal** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 6:48 pm

I hate to post 3 times in a row. However, I'm looking over a list of free agents that year the list is just insane. Some notables:

Carlos Delgado
Jason Giambi
Mark Teixiera
Troy Glaus
Mark Kotsay
Brad Lidge
Travis Hafner
Frank Thomas
Jim Thome
Carl Crawford
Manny Ramirez
Mike Maroth
Mark Mulder
CC Sabathia
Johan Santana
Rocco Baldelli
Vlad Guerrero
Kyle Farnsworth (NICE!)
Fransisco Rodriguez
Rafael Soriano
Solomon Torres
Dan Wheeler
John Lackey
Carl Pavano (NICE!)
Jake Peavy
Ben Sheets
Rafael Furcal

Not saying we need all these guys. Look at the talent in that free agent pool. Imagine bolstering our rotation with Johan and Peavy. Adding Teixeira and Hafner to the lineup. It's just insane that free agent class. -Jitpal