Have the Reds Found a Cheap Adam Dunn?

Hey, did everyone know the Reds are still playing… Most of you are more interested in Hard Knocks and Bengals preseason games (I can’t blame you).

One positive statistic I came across today that many people, including Dusty Baker, have overlooked is the play of Jonny Gomes. In only 173 at-bats, Gomes has put up solid numbers including a .277 AVG, 15 HR, 36 RBI and a .357 OBP.

Former Red, Adam Dunn, was just in town and it was amazing the amount of write-ups I scanned detailing how the Reds could use his 40 homers and 100+ RBI’s a year now more than ever. Funny thing is the Reds have a guy on their current roster who is also iffy in the field and is known for his bat, Jonny Gomes.

Listed below is Adam Dunn’s current 2009 stats and Gomes’ projected stats if he were to presently have 400 plate appearances.

Dunn: 282 AVG, 63 R, 31 HR, 86 RBI, 131 K
Gomes: .277 AVG, 58 R, 35 HR, 84 RBI, 135 K (Projected)

Adam Dunn Hits 300th Home Run

Adam Dunn today blasted his 22nd home run of the season and 300th of his career leading his team to a 5-3 victory over the Braves. Dunn and fellow teammate, Ryan Zimmerman, have been the lone players to watch for the lowly nationals, who are 23-55 on the season.

Dunn, who is 29 years young, is the 5th player in major league history to reach the 300 home run mark in less than 4,200 at-bats. The others are Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire, Ralph Kiner and Harmon Killebrew, not a bad class to join. Dunn has hit 40+ home runs six straight seasons and will more than likely hit that mark for his seventh consecutive season in 2009.

Comparing Adam Dunn to Jay Bruce

Two of the most highly touted Reds to come out of the organizations farm system over the past decade are Adam Dunn and Jay Bruce. Both played sparingly a year before there first full season and I thought it would be interesting to compare there numbers to this point in there second year in the bigs(see below):

Adam Dunn Stats in first full season through May:

2002: .306 AVG, 11 HR, 36 RBI, 32 R, .460 OBP, 49 BB, 56 K

Jay Bruce Stats in first full season through May:

2009: .220 AVG, 14 HR, 30 RBI, 29 R, .296 OBP, 18 BB, 45 K

Granted Bruce is much better in the field (seven outfield assists and only one error) his offensive numbers have fared far worse in comparison. The big thing that stands out to me is Bruce’s OBP. His numbers so far this year look worse than Dunn’s because his K’s are high, like Dunn, but he fails to draw walks and his average is way down. Bruce will come around but we wanted to get rid of Dunn because he struck out way to much and had a low average throughout his career. You don’t think people will be calling for Bruce’s head if he keeps this up?

So far this year Dunn is batting .269 with 16 HR’s and 42 RBI’s for the worst team in baseball, the Natinals. He’s putting up these numbers with no supporting cast around him as well. Oh, and the Reds have a platoon of Nix, Gomes, and Dickerson in left field, I’d much rather have that.....

Tracking the Trade: Ken Griffey, Jr. and Adam Dunn

Adam Dunn for Micah Owings:

Dunn is currently batting .311 with 11 long balls and 28 RBI's in 29 games. His OBP is a remarkable .451 and he's walked 27 times. He currently ranks 2nd in the NL in homers, 1st in walks, 2nd in slugging percentage and 3rd in RBI's. His strikeout total is still high at 31 but he's only committed one error so far. I still think he's worth the $8 million the Nationals are giving him this year and it would be nice to have him in LF with Dickerson struggling.

Owings has posted a 2-3 record and a 5.08 ERA. He's allowed four or more runs in four of his five starts. His strikeout to walk ratio isn't all that great with 15 K's and 12 BB's. The one thing Owings does bring to the table though is giving the Reds a "26th man." What i mean by that is the team can pull him off the bench at any time to hit, as seen tonight with his game tying jack to left-field of Ryan Franklin on a 3-2 count in the bottom of the ninth with two outs. Owings is currently batting .333 with a homer and 4 RBI's. Five of Owings six hits have been for extra bases.

Ken Griffey, Jr. for Nick Masset:

Griffey is currently hitting .218 with three long bombs and seven RBI's. Although the Mariners are off to a great start Griffey is not. It was a great move by the M's as they're putting "butts in the seats" with the signing of The Kid.

Masset lost the fight for the 5th starting spot with his poor performance in the spring but has slowly gained respect from Dusty Baker and the Reds. Masset currently boasts a 1.35 ERA and has only allowed two runs on four hits in 13.1 innings.