Adam Dunn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Adam Dunn |
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Dunn with the Washington Nationals in 2009
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| Left fielder / First baseman | |||
| Born: November 9, 1979 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| July 20, 2001, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 28, 2014, for the Oakland Athletics | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .237 | ||
| Home runs | 462 | ||
| Runs batted in | 1,168 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Adam Troy Dunn (born November 9, 1979), known as "Big Donkey", is a former American professional baseball player. He played for 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Adam Dunn was mostly a left fielder and first baseman. He was famous for hitting very powerful home runs. He also struck out a lot.
Dunn hit 38 or more home runs for seven years in a row. This ties him with Babe Ruth for the second-longest streak in MLB history. In 2004, he hit one of the longest home runs ever, a 535-foot blast. It landed so far away it was in a different state! However, he is third on the all-time strikeout list with 2,379. He also holds the American League record for most strikeouts in one season, with 222 in 2012.
Adam Dunn's playing style was quite unique. He often either walked, struck out, or hit a home run. This showed that a player could be very helpful to their team even with a low batting average. Many people today see him as one of the best hitters of his time.
Contents
Early Life and Sports
Adam Dunn grew up in Houston, Texas. He was a talented athlete in both baseball and football at New Caney High School. Even though he was naturally right-handed, his dad taught him to bat left-handed. This was because he hit the ball with more power that way. As a kid, he cheered for the Houston Astros.
After high school, the Cincinnati Reds picked Dunn in the second round of the 1998 Major League Baseball draft. In 2015, New Caney High School honored Dunn by retiring his football and baseball numbers. They also named their baseball field after him.
Football Talents
Dunn was a great football quarterback in high school. He led his team to a district championship in his senior year. Big colleges like Notre Dame and Texas A&M wanted him to play for them. He chose to play for the Texas Longhorns football team.
The Cincinnati Reds allowed him to play college football during the off-season. However, Dunn never played in a real college game. He decided to focus only on baseball. He called it "probably the hardest decision I'd ever had to make."
Minor League Journey
Adam Dunn played four seasons in the minor leagues. He showed great patience at the plate, meaning he waited for good pitches. He always had a high on-base percentage, which means he got on base often.
The Reds wanted to bring Dunn straight to the major leagues in 1999. But Dunn said no. He wanted to improve his swing first. During spring training, a teammate gave him the nickname "Big Donkey."
By 2001, many baseball experts ranked Dunn as a top minor league player. He had an amazing year. He hit 12 home runs in 39 games in Double-A. Then he hit 20 home runs in 55 games in Triple-A. He even hit a 400-foot home run in the All-Star Futures Game. He reached the major leagues by July of that year.
Major League Career
Cincinnati Reds Years
The Reds called up Adam Dunn to the major leagues on July 20, 2001. He quickly set a National League rookie record. He hit 12 home runs in August. This record stood for 16 years. In his first season, Dunn played 66 games. He batted .262 with 19 home runs and 43 RBIs.
In 2002, Dunn hit 26 home runs and had 76 RBIs. He also walked a career-high 128 times. He was chosen for the National League All-Star team. In that game, he almost hit a game-winning home run.
His 2003 season was not as good. He hit only .215 with 27 home runs. He also made many errors in the outfield.
Dunn's best season was 2004. He had career highs in batting average (.266) and home runs (46). He also scored 105 runs and had 151 hits. On August 10, 2004, Dunn hit the longest home run in the history of Great American Ball Park. It was a 535-foot blast that landed in a part of the Ohio River that is in Kentucky. As of 2025, it is the fourth-longest home run in MLB history.
In 2004, Dunn joined Hall of Famer Joe Morgan as the only Reds players to score 100 runs, drive in 100 runs, and walk 100 times in one season.
Dunn continued to hit many home runs in 2005 and 2006. He hit 40 home runs in 2005 and 40 again in 2006. He was the fourth Reds player to hit 40 home runs in multiple seasons. However, he also led MLB in strikeouts for three years in a row.
On June 30, 2006, Dunn hit a huge grand slam home run. It was a "walk-off" hit, meaning it won the game for the Reds. This capped a 9-run comeback against the Indians.
During a rain delay in 2006, Dunn made a funny prank phone call to Reds radio announcer Marty Brennaman. He pretended to be a listener and asked silly questions. This call became very famous in Cincinnati.
In 2007, Dunn hit 40 home runs and had 100 RBIs again. He became the only Red to hit 40 home runs in four seasons in a row. In his 8 seasons with Cincinnati, Dunn hit 270 home runs. In 2018, he was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
Arizona Diamondbacks
On August 11, 2008, Dunn was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He played only a short time there. In 2008, Dunn walked a lot, but also struck out many times. He also had a low fielding percentage as a left fielder. Between Cincinnati and Arizona, Dunn hit 40 home runs and had 100 RBIs in 2008.
Washington Nationals
In 2009, Dunn signed a contract with the Washington Nationals. In his first game, he hit a home run and had four RBIs. On July 4, 2009, he hit his 300th career home run. During his time with the Nationals, Dunn started playing first base more often. In 2009, he hit .267 with 38 home runs and 105 RBIs.
On July 7, 2010, Dunn hit three home runs in one game for the first time in his career. This helped the Nationals win 7–6. For the 2010 season, he hit 38 home runs and had 103 RBIs.
Chicago White Sox
On December 2, 2010, Dunn joined the Chicago White Sox. In 2011, Dunn had a very tough season. He had an appendectomy early in the year. After returning, he struggled a lot. He ended the season with a very low .159 batting average. He hit only 11 home runs and had 42 RBIs. His 177 strikeouts set a new White Sox team record.
Dunn was determined to do better in 2012. By May, he had already hit more home runs than in all of 2011. He was also leading the American League in walks.
In 2012, Dunn struck out in 36 games in a row. On July 1, he was chosen for his second All-Star Game. On August 18, Dunn hit his 400th career home run. He became the 50th MLB player to reach this milestone. Dunn finished the 2012 season with 41 home runs and 96 RBIs. He also led the majors in walks (105) and strikeouts (222). His 222 strikeouts set a new American League record.
On August 5, 2014, Adam Dunn did something unusual. He pitched the top of the ninth inning during a game against the Texas Rangers. It was his first time pitching in a game. He even threw a strike!
Oakland Athletics and Retirement
The White Sox traded Dunn to the Oakland Athletics on August 31, 2014. Soon after, Dunn said he would "probably" retire after the 2014 season. On September 1, in his first time at bat with Oakland, he hit a two-run home run. He was the 12th player in Athletics history to hit a home run in his first at-bat.
Dunn played in 2,001 games during his career. This was the most games for any active player at the time who had never been in the postseason. On the last day of the 2014 season, the Athletics made it to the playoffs. This meant Dunn was on a postseason team for the first time! However, he did not play in the AL Wild Card Game. The Athletics lost that game. After the game, Dunn confirmed his retirement.
International Play
On March 1, 2009, Adam Dunn joined the United States team for the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He hit a two-run home run against Canada. The next day, he hit another long home run against Venezuela. During the tournament, Dunn tied for the team lead with 3 home runs.
After Baseball
Adam Dunn was on the ballot for the 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame vote. He was not chosen in his first year. He was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2018.
Dunn also helped start and now manages Marucci Elite Texas. This is a traveling club team that plays in national baseball competitions.
Player Style
Hitting Style
Adam Dunn was a very effective hitter, even with some weaknesses. He had trouble hitting the ball to the opposite side of the field. He also wasn't fast enough to get many infield hits. But he had amazing power and patience at the plate. As of 2025, his 15.8% walk rate is one of the highest of all time. His ratio of at bats per home run is also very high. Dunn also holds the record for most home runs hit on Opening Day, tied with Frank Robinson and Ken Griffey Jr..
Dunn's patience at the plate also led to his high strikeout numbers. He often waited for the "perfect pitch." Sometimes, this meant he struck out without swinging. As of 2025, he is third on the all-time strikeout list with 2,379 strikeouts. He also had 19 "golden sombreros," which means striking out four or more times in a single game. This is tied for fourth-most all-time. His 222 strikeouts in 2012 are the second-most in a single MLB season.
Dunn was known as a "Three True Outcomes" hitter. This means he often walked, struck out, or hit a home run. These outcomes don't involve the defense much. For his career, nearly half of his plate appearances ended in one of these three ways. This unique style helped show that players who walk and hit home runs are very valuable, even if they strike out a lot.
Baseball writer Jayson Stark called Dunn "the most unique baseball player who ever lived." He noted that Dunn had a streak of five straight 40-homer seasons. He also had seven straight 38-homer seasons, tied with Babe Ruth. Dunn also had many seasons with 160 or more strikeouts.
Fielding Style
While Dunn was a great hitter, he was not known for his defense. He often let opposing batters get hits or extra bases. Modern statistics show that he cost his team many runs on defense. When he retired in 2014, some calculations showed he had cost his team more wins on defense than almost any other player since 1901.
Because of his unique hitting and defense, Dunn is often seen as a symbol of how baseball analysis changed. At the time, it was hard to measure defense accurately. Some people thought if modern stats were common earlier, Dunn would have mostly played as a designated hitter. This position is for hitting only, and it is used in the American League. Instead, he played most of his career in the National League, which did not have the DH at the time.
During his time with the Cincinnati Reds, some people questioned Dunn's effort in the outfield. Reds announcer Marty Brennaman once said Dunn showed "no energy whatsoever." However, Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo defended Dunn. He called him "the most misunderstood player." Rizzo said Dunn played hard even when he was hurt.
Position Changes
In 2006, the Reds thought about moving Dunn to first base. But they changed their minds. After Nick Johnson was traded, Dunn became the everyday first baseman for the Washington Nationals.
When Dunn played for the Chicago White Sox, he mostly played as a designated hitter. He would sometimes fill in at first base.
Personal Life
Adam Dunn is married and has four children. His family lives in Houston, Texas.
Dunn appeared in the 2013 movie Dallas Buyers Club as a bartender. He also invested money in the film.
See also
In Spanish: Adam Dunn para niños
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in bases on balls
