If Jimmy Garvin and the kids at Langston Golf Course in the District had a say in whether the Washington Nationals should re-sign slugger Adam Dunn, they would vote an emphatic yes.
After all, if Dunn keeps swinging in a Nationals uniform, every kid in Garvin’s golf program could wind up with a brand new set of Callaway clubs.
Dunn, who made his case for the Nationals to invest in him yet again Tuesday night with a walk-off home run in a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, has hit several mammoth homers this season that have landed — figuratively — at Langston Golf Course. Garvin’s Langston Legacy Foundation operates programs for minority youths that include life lessons both on the course and in the classroom.
In May, Dunn slammed a 471-foot home run against Colorado, which made him a winner in a Callaway Golf program that rewards ballplayers who hit home runs over 470 feet with two sets of new Callaway clubs. Dunn donated one of those sets to Garvin’s group for one of the kids in the program.
On Sept. 14, Dunn blasted another shot, this one 479 feet against the Atlanta Braves. And again Dunn gave the clubs to Garvin’s group.
“It’s been a joy for us to receive them,” Garvin said. “He’s a great person with a big heart and big home runs. We are rooting for him to come back.”
On Tuesday night, Dunn slugged what could be his goodbye blast. Dunn is in the final year of his two-year, $20 million contract, and all indications are that the Nationals won’t make a strong effort to bring him back.
It’s a tough spot for general manager Mike Rizzo. Dunn is a defensive liability at first base, and in the post-steroid age of baseball, defense is a premium. The perception is that a better defensive first baseman would best serve the young Nationals infield of Ryan Zimmerman and rookies Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa.
The other part is the notion that the Nationals have this great young group of pitchers, and to capitalize on those young arms, you have to put the emphasis on defense to support them. But no one can be sure, at this stage, whether the Nationals are on the verge of being pitching-rich.
Here is what we do know — Adam Dunn has 38 home runs this year and 76 in his two years with the Nationals. He is 30 years old and has hit 354 home runs over his 10-year career. In the post-steroid era, when home runs are harder to come by, Dunn is the real deal. He plays nearly every day and wants to play in Washington. That is no small consideration. You can be sure no free agent of any note in baseball has Washington penciled in as the next stop in his career.
Plus, if he stays, he may hit enough long home runs to give every kid in Washington a set of clubs.
Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN 980 and espn980.com. Contact him at [email protected].
