Is He Dunn?

Smiles have been few and far between for
Dunn this season.

It is no secret that the transition to the American League has not been an easy one for the Chicago White Sox' designated hitter Adam Dunn. Now the question is what will general manger Kenny Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen do with the thirty-one-year-old power hitter, or lack there of. Is it possible that a productive hitter like Dunn could be done in the prime of his career?

Dunn, who signed a four-year $56 million contract this winter, has struggled from the get-go and has yet to get acclimated with A.L. pitching.

After posting his second straight hitless day Thursday and the fourth in his last five games, the struggling DH did not find his name posted on the lineup card for this weekend's opening series matchup against the division rival Kansas City Royals.

In his last ten games, the six-foot-six Texas native has batted .139 with only 1 home run and 2 RBIs, including adding 15 punch outs to his league leading total, which now stands 146.

Dunn now sees his season average at a dismal .161, well below his career mark of .245. But capturing batting titles is not what made Dunn one of the most feared hitters in the National League for nearly a decade. His sometimes colossus home runs have and continue to be his bread and butter.

Between the start of the 2004 season and the end of 2010, Dunn has averaged 40 home runs while driving in 101 on a yearly basis. During that time only the Cardinals' Albert Pujols and his 322 home runs are more than Dunn's 293. And while the former Cincinnati Reds slugger has averaged 180 strikeouts during that time span--leading the league three times--it seems he might be a victim of some unfair criticism and never given the recognition he deserves.

To be fair you would think with the numbers Dunn has put up during his eleven seasons in the majors, he would be a perennial All-Star, whose constantly in the Most Valuable Player discussion.

That has simply not been the case.

Dunn has been named to only one All-Star team, that coming back in only his second year in the show. That season he batted .249 with 26 home runs and 71 RBIs and while most of those numbers at the time were career-highs for Dunn, they aren't his best.

Arguably his best season came in '04 where he hit a still-career-high 46 home runs and drove in 102, while batting .266. That year Dunn would finish 28th in the MVP voting, but on a fourth place team never really got much consideration.

Dunn hit 40 home runs five straight years ('04-'08) for Cincinnati and Arizona, something nobody else did during that stretch, but never even mentioned as a potential All-Star.

Known as the "Big Donkey", Dunn, despite the numbers has never been in the top twenty in the MVP voting even though most of his numbers are just as good if not better than previous MVP winners. That was never more apparent than in 2007.

Dunn's power numbers have been
similar to that of Albert
Pujols'.

That season Dunn finished the season with .264 average, 40 home runs, 106 RBIs, and 101 runs scored. He also managed to cut down his league leading 194 strikeouts from the previous year down to 165, but wasn't even considered for the MVP, not even finishing in the top thirty.

However, if you go look at Philadelphia's Ryan Howard and his numbers that same season they are awfully close.

Howard batted .268 with 47 home runs, 136 RBIs, and 94 runs scored, but led the league in strikeouts with 199. Howard, who just happened to be the reigning National League MVP, finished fifth in the voting, well ahead of Dunn.

There is no question with Howard on a first-place Phillies team and clearly better numbers, he should have finished ahead of Dunn and his fifth-place Reds. Even though the baseball writers have shown in recent years you can be on a last place team and win a major award, just like Zack Greinke in '09 and Felix Hernandez just a year ago, both winning the Cy Young.

It is the fact that Dunn had been snubbed yet again after an unbelievable season, despite not having the protection Howard did with players like Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins in the Philadelphia order.

Now with Dunn struggling in his transition to a full-time DH, everybody wants to hit you while your down.

If Chicago, who is currently at 58-60, wants to meet expectations they will need their struggling slugger to get off the mate. And if and when he does, this season long slump can be a thing of the past and baseball can go back to underappreciating one of the games giants.