Add new comment

Reports of Dunn's imminent collapse are premature.
His "career high" BABIP in '10 was .329.  It is true it was a career high...but considering his BABIP in .09 was .324 it was barely a career high. There was a 5/1000 difference!  It just as likely shows his "hitting it where they ain't" is improving.  His BABIP in the previous three seasons ('06-'08) was . 276, .305, .258.  That career high may just show an improving tendency....not an outlier season. What do you think?
His ISO was right in line with his previous 5 seasons.
His line drive rate in '08 was 17.9%, in '09 was 20.5% and last was was again 17.9%.  Nothing out of whack there.  Although it is interesting that his BABIP in '08 was that .258 rate and then last year was .329 despite the same LD rate.  it is just as likely that '08 was an unlucky year.
He did have a career low BB% of 11.9% vs. a career avg. of 16.3%  But that is almost certainly due to the fact that his OZone swing rate was a career high 28.5%.  His career average is 18.4%.
He was certainly more aggressive. However, look a bit deeper and you see that his O-contact rate was 48.4%.  That was a career high (Avg. of 43.3%).  He ripped at more borderline pitches....but he made contact with more of them, too.  That hardly sounds like an eroding skill set!
His Zone swing rate was 68.3%...a career high.  But since his career average here is more than 66% it is hardly a concern.  What it shows is incredibly consistency.  The hallmark of his career.
He's 30 years old....he's a LF/1B/DH.  30 is still young, for goodness sake.  He has NO history of injury.  He isn't missing balls he swings at (just the opposite). And it appears he's hitting the ball harder than ever.
Over the last seven seasons he has OPS+ between 130 and 146 six times.  In '06 he completely crashed and disgraced himself with only a 114 number.  Those 40 HR's that year?  Blah! :)
Here's betting a bottle of fine scotch that he has three superb years for the Chi-Sox and one off year where he only hits 33 HR's or so. 
4X$14M?       Bargain Basement, Baby! 
Sheeesh.....we're paying $26M over the next three years for Figgins.  I would trade those contracts in a New York minute!
Maybe if Bill Veeck was still in Chi-town we could swap Figgy and a couple of truck loads of disco records for Dunn. Throw in a little person and a jersey with the number 1/8, just to sweeten the pot. Veeck would do it, don't you think Doc? 
Imagine.....Ichiro, Ackley and Smoak on base and The Big Donkey to mash them in.
Don't you think Felix dreams about stuff like that?
moe