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Adam Dunn for DH


A dream situation, if you will. Call me irrational, but that's because I don't have to balance the Yankee checkbook at the end of the day. I have always been biased when it comes to the Big Donkey, and it pains me to see him in dead-end Washington. Over the offseason, when Teixeira was a "what if..." free agent, I was rooting for Dunn to come play first for New York. His glove leaves a lot to be desired, sure, but boy can he hit. I could visualize the 6-foot-6 275 pound hefty lefty bombing moonshots in the upper decks of the stands. I wasn't satisfied with Swisher being our first basemen, and I think secretly everybody else was too (don't get me wrong, I love Swish but throwing a 1B mitt on him seemed makeshift to me). I was sad to see him get picked up by the Nats, but of course I was ecstatic when I found out that we picked up Tex at a time when I was sure he was going to be a dastardly Red Sock. Now, one year later, We see a possibility of losing our beloved Godzilla. But with loss comes opportunity... Trade opportunities.

Am I aware of the downsides of Adam Dunn? Absolutely, I am not blind. He whiffs as hard as he swings. He's criticized for his lack of clutch hitting - this past year he was rated -1.12 for clutch by Fangraphs. His glove is atrocious, posting a -35 UZR at first base (which is really really bad). Also, he has a bit of a weight problem, apparently weighing in at around 300 lbs (http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2009/9/29/1060869/the-two-sides-of-adam-dunn-graph?ref=CBS).

Do those attributes frighten you? Yes, upon first glance it appears we're talking about Adam Dud here. However, not all is as it seems. Dunn has an excellent eye, seeing a lot of pitches and drawing a lot of walks. Last year his swing rate at pitches outside the zone was about 5 points below average (that's good). He consistently draws over 100 walks per year. He walked 17.5% of the time he stepped to the plate as a Nat, which blows away the 9.5% average. His walk-to-strikeout ratio was a 0.66, and his OPS was a .928. I can throw more stats in there, but is that really necessary? Adam Dunn is a superb batter.

Now imagine Adam Dunn minus one glove. He brought in 35.5 runs with his bat. Unfortunately, he sacrificed much more than that with his glove (-36.3). That stooped his WAR down to a 1.2. Adam Dunn has never played in the American League, yet the DH role seems to be tailor-made for him. Adam Dunn has one year left in his contract with Washington. Perhaps it would be unwise to trade for him when we could risk bidding for him if he chooses not to resign. Matsui raked in 13 million bucks DHing in pinstripes last year... Adam Dunn made 8 million out of his 20 million, 2 year contract. Even for a year he'd cost less than Matsui, and clearly has a better bat. I don't know what the Nats would want for him... Probably some of our top prospects and a wheelbarrow of money. Is it worth it? Who is worth it?  That is what I ask you SB Nation.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24Hjo--wFX0

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Adam Dunn would be a monster for the Yanks

I actually don’t really think Matsui’s gonna cost more, so I think Dunn may be a 2011 type idea.

Tho, the thought of Dunn launching moonshots at the stadium is pretty exciting.

"It ain't over till its over"---

by FreeBradshaw on Nov 13, 2009 7:18 AM EST reply actions  

That's actually a really good idea...

Dunn does have better offensive numbers than Matsui, so if we can get him for cheaper it’s not a bad idea at all. The only thing that gives me pause is that they really want to use Posada more as a DH, and having Dunn there will limit how many times we can do that.

by Wraithpk on Nov 13, 2009 11:26 AM EST reply actions  

of course Dunn would be a good DH idea...

I don;’t think the Nats are gonna give him away tho.

I say give it a year.

I’d love to re-sign Mats for a year and go from there. If Mats declines in 2010, it makes it a semi-easy choice to target Dunn for the DH spot

"It ain't over till its over"---

by FreeBradshaw on Nov 13, 2009 11:37 AM EST up reply actions  

Dunn

Dunn’s a career .232 hitter with RISP and he is a strikeout machine. He gets on base a lot and he gets into 40 homers a year but the rest of his at bats are really unproductive. I don’t think he’s much of an upgrade over Matsui.

by Let's Talk About Tex Baby on Nov 13, 2009 12:21 PM EST reply actions  

his OPS is .906 with RISP.

Matsui’s is .867.
 Its mostly due do OBP cuz their slugging is basically the same.

We all know he’s an all or nothing type dude…

But he’s also never batted in a lineup that would have Tex and A-Rod batting in front of him.

Also..while he DOES suck in the OF, I think they could get away with him out there for a couple games during the season…especially in a IL game.

"It ain't over till its over"---

by FreeBradshaw on Nov 13, 2009 12:47 PM EST up reply actions  

Hes all or nothing

The yanks need i guy who hits for average more than Dunn or Jason Bay who has also been mentioned. Matsui is so good with the short porch at Yankee its a bad idea to pick Dunn over him.

by dwaa101 on Nov 13, 2009 5:43 PM EST reply actions  

Dunn

has been the better hitter over his career, and his 4 year trends are better than Matsui’s. You know who’s even better than him by a lot, though? Matt Holliday.

by Wraithpk on Nov 13, 2009 6:53 PM EST up reply actions  

love to...

I would love to see Dunn hit at yankee stadium especially with short LF. I think he would have overall better numbers than Matsui but no vs. Left handed pitching. Matsui hit .300 vs. Left.

by yankslocktowin on Nov 15, 2009 2:55 PM EST reply actions  

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