Adam Dunn hit his 6th homer of the season and 244th of his career yesterday. That moves him into a tie for 195th place on the all-time list with Hack Wilson, Lou Whitaker, Tony Clark and Alfonso Soriano. He moves past Roy Campanella, Wally Berger, Sal Bando and Reds Manager Dusty Baker.
That's right, only 194 players in the long history of baseball have hit more homers than Adam Dunn -- and he is still only 28 years old. If he plays another 10+ years he could end up near the top of the list alongside some true legends of the game.
Next up on the list with 245 homers are Mickey Tettleton, Deron Johnson, and Matt Stairs at 192nd place.
Dunn's career ratio of only 14.17 At-bats per home run is the 6th-best in MLB history. Pretty impressive. Here are the 5 players ahead of him:
10.61 Mark McGwire
11.76 Babe Ruth
12.90 Barry Bonds
13.68 Jim Thome
14.11 Ralph Kiner
14.17 Adam Dunn
Did you know there are only three players on the Reds that were actually drafted and developed by the Reds? Adam Dunn is the only one that has been successful for any length of time. Joey Votto is looking like he could be the next one after the excellent beginning of his career. The third home-grown player on the Reds is Todd Coffey, who was a 41st round pick in 1998. Coffey has logged 202 IP with a 4.63 ERA and a .309 BAA. Homer Bailey and Jay Bruce are good bets to improve the Reds' dismal record of drafting and developing good players. Is there another team in MLB with fewer home-grown players? Let me know.
My favorite players over the years have been Dave Concepcion, Johnny Bench and Barry Larkin -- all of whom were drafted and developed by the Reds and played their entire careers for the Reds. I understand that rarely happens in baseball these days, but I for one would like to see Adam Dunn play his whole career in Cincinnati. I would enjoy seeing him break records and pass Hall of Famers on the all-time lists over the next decade. We need at least one lifer to be an island of stability in the river of journeymen and short-timers.
Here are Dunn's all-time ranks in other stats:
HRs: 195th place with 244 HR
Runs: 829th place with 637 R
RBIs: 748th place with 588 RBI
BBs: 323rd place with 702 BB
OPS: 63rd place with .8997 OPS
Ks: 164th place with 1121 Ks
Here is a comparison of Adam Dunn to the players he has passed on the home run list this past week:
Adam Dunn - Current Age: 28 Career HR: 244 Career AB: 3459 AB/HR: 14.2
Dunn passes at least one player with every home run he hits. All of those players took much longer to achieve their impressive home run totals. Most of them played well into their 30s and had thousands more plate appearances than Dunn. There is only one active player with more homers than Dunn that is also younger than Dunn. That player is Albert Pujols (2 months younger), but he has actually had 700 more plate appearances than Dunn. That is more than an extra season's worth of chances. Pujols' AB/HR ratio is 14.5, which is fantastic but not as great as Dunn's.
Hack Wilson - Played Until Age: 34 Career HR: 244 Career AB: 4760 AB/HR: 19.5
Wilson was a remarkable player. He was only 5'6" tall but weighed 195 pounds and wore size 6 shoes! Compare that to Adam Dunn's 6'6" and 275 pounds. He had a fairly short 12 year career as a center fielder with the Giants, Cubs, Dodgers and Phillies. In 1930 he set the still-current record with 191 RBIs in a single season. He held the National League record for home runs in a season with 56 until Mark McGwire broke it in 1998 with 70. He died at the young age of 48 (probably due to his alcoholism). He is a member of the Hall of Fame.
Lou Whitaker - Played Until Age: 38 Career HR: 244 Career AB: 8570 AB/HR: 35.1
Whitaker played a long 19 year career solely as a Detroit Tiger. He won three Gold Gloves as a second baseman and made the All Star team 5 times. He was the Rookie of the Year in 1978. At the 1985 All Star game he forgot to bring his uniform, so he went to the memoribilia vendor's stand and bought a blank Tigers jersey. He used a magic marker to write his number on the back. That uniform is now in the Smithsonian Museum.
Tony Clark - Current Age: 35 Career HR: 244 Career AB: 4341 AB/HR: 17.8
Clark is an active first baseman currently with the Padres. He has also played for the Tigers, Red Sox, Mets, Yankees and Diamondbacks. In his 13 year career he has made the All Star team once (in 2001).
Alfonso Soriano - Current Age: 32 Career HR: 244 Career AB: 4566 AB/HR: 18.7
Soriano is an active player with the Cubs. He played previously with the Yankees, Rangers and Nationals. He began his career as a second baseman, but has played outfield since last year. His first major league hit was a walk-off homer against the Devil Rays. He owns the major league record for leadoff homers in a season with 13. Soriano has made the All Star team 6 times, including the year he was the MVP of the game after hitting a 3-run homer off Roger Clemens. In 2004 he was traded for Alex Rodriguez and $67 million! Soriano joins Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds and A-Rod as the only members of the 40-40 club (40 homers and 40 stolen bases).
Dusty Baker - Played Until Age: 37 Career HR: 242 Career AB: 7117 AB/HR: 29.4
Current Reds Manager Dusty Baker played in 19 seasons as an outfielder for the Braves, Dodgers, Giants and Athletics. He made the All Star team twice and won a Gold Glove once. He was the NL Manager of the year three times during his stint leading the Giants, and he also managed the Cubs.
Roy Campanella - Played Until Age: 35 Career HR: 242 Career AB: 4205 AB/HR: 17.4
Campanella played 10 seasons with the Dodgers and was one of the first black players in the majors. He was a stellar catcher and was elected to the Hall of Fame. His career was cut short after he was paralyzed in a car crash. He was an All Star 8 times and won the NL MVP Award 3 times.
Wally Berger - Played Until Age: 34 Career HR: 242 Career AB: 5163 AB/HR: 21.3
Berger was a center fielder for 11 seasons with the Boston Braves/Bees, Giants, Reds and Phillies. He went 0 for 15 in the 1939 World Series for the Reds, who were swept by the Yankees. Berger made the All Star team 4 times. He is the only player out of 18 that started the 1934 All Star game that is not in the Hall of Fame. His 38 homers in 1930 set an MLB rookie record that was not broken until 1987 when Mark McGwire hit 49, but he still shares the NL record with the Reds' Frank Robinson. Berger's 119 RBIs in 1930 were an NL rookie record until Albert Pujols broke it in 2001.
Sal Bando - Played Until Age: 37 Career HR: 242 Career AB: 7060 AB/HR: 29.2
Bando played 16 seasons as a third baseman for the Athletics and Brewers and made the All Star team 4 times. After his playing career was finished he was the General Manager of the Brewers for 7+ years in the 1990s. His brother Chris was a catcher for the Indians during the 1980s.
Players that Adam Dunn has passed on the career home run list this season:
242 Dusty Baker, Roy Campanella, Wally Berger, Sal Bando
241 Jesse Barfield, Cecil Cooper, Rick Monday
240 Roberto Clemente, Jeff Burroughs
239 Ken Caminiti, Dolph Camilli
238 Ray Lankford, Earl Averill
I will leave it up to Big Klu to post Dunn's ranks among the Reds' all-time team leaders.
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Originally Posted by Big Klu
