Adam Dunn is one of the most overrated players in all of baseball. And while Jim Thome is a homerun only guy who k's a lot, he is a much more productive hitter than Dunn. Take a look inside some of Dunn's career stats, through Wednesday's game... Dunn's career avg with RISP: .209 career avg w/RISP 2 outs: .199 career avg w/bases loaded: .205 career avg total: .248 - and he is supposed to be some kind of premier player? number of seasons Dunn has driven in more than 71 runs? Once and his fielding is mediocre at best, he has a .967 career fielding percentage in left, .962 in right. So what does he have to offer? Power. His walks are an abberration and simply an effect of teams pitching around him with a historically weak Cincy lineup. Dunn has been the only true power threat in Cincy for most of his career. If Dunn's pitch selection is so fantastic, then why does he K 170+ times per season, and hit only .248? He is only selective or smart enough to lay off the pitches way out of the strike zone that he sees regularly as he is pitched around. Anything near the plate he swings at, and most often misses. I'm not making a case for Jim Thome here, as I'm not a big fan of slow, lumbering strikeout hitters who can't field. But since you brought Thome up, let's look at a few of his career stats in comparison to Dunn: Thome career avg w/RISP: .275 (Dunn .209) avg w/RISP 2 outs: .250 (Dunn .199) bases loaded: .299 (Dunn .205) career avg: .281 (Dunn .248) Thome has been a much better clutch hitter than Dunn, and because of that he has been a consistent run producer. Dunn is simply Dave Kingman from the left side of the plate, and gets pitched around more. The last thing the Cubs need is another slow, lumbering, mediocre fielder who only can offer home runs or strikeouts at the plate. We need guys who hit for avg, have speed, play good defense, and have some pop. The Cubs have loaded their roster with home run/strikeout hitters for decades. How many World Series have we won? They, Dusty, Hendry, and the fans, need to stop thinking we are a 1970's American League team managed by Earl Weaver. The teams that win today play the same style of baseball that has consistently won since the beginning of baseball - fundamental baseball. The Cardinals and the White Sox, among others, get runners on, steal or bunt them over, and get them in with a basehit, hit and run, sac fly, or whatever means necessary. The Cubs swing for the fences almost every at bat. Don't let a good offensive run vs. some bad teams lull you into believing we have turned the page. We do not play fundamental baseball, and our low-contact power/strikeout guys can only get hot for a shortwhile and it will be back to a miserable run where we can't score for two weeks. Fundamental baseball does not go into slumps. You draw a walk or get a basehit and move the runner over. It works consistently, and the Cubs need to accept that fact, fire Dusty Baker and his coaches, and hire a staff that will demand intelligent, fundamental baseball. Adam Dunn is not part of the answer to our woes.
