Well, I had to do it eventually.
Adam Dunn is obviously the most controversial player on the Reds, and he didn't do anything to change that fact in 2006. He had probably his second worst season of his still young career, putting up a line of .234/.365/.490, not too far off his 2003 line of .215/.354/.465. He also put up the second highest strikeout total of his career, managing to K 194 times, one less than his career high.
With that said, there were certainly positives. His OBP is excellent, even in a down year. He hit the 40 home run mark for the third straight year, which is a remarkable feat, one that I don't think most Reds fan appreciate enough. He also walked over 100 times for the fourth time in his six season career (and 2001 and 2003 don't really count because he didn't play a full season either year). Dunn also is a gamer, coming to play nearly every day. He missed just two games in 2006, the third straight season he played in 160 or more games.
Sports fans tend to blame their favorite team's best player for what ails their team, a tendency I've never really understood. Many Reds fans have been perfectly willing to overlook Dunn's awesome power and plate discipline in favor of obsessing with his strikeouts, but I'm honestly not sure if this is a mark against Reds fans. There are probably very few fan bases in America that would appreciate what Adam Dunn brings to the table.
Questions to get the ball rolling with Dunn:
- Should Dunn be traded?
- Is Dunn's defense acceptable in left field? Is he made worse because of Ken Griffey Jr. in center or is he simply hopeless?
- What do you think about Adam Dunn's strikeouts? Are they meaningless, or should Dunn be working on cutting them down? Do you think a reduction in strikeouts carries with it a loss of power?