Holy Hondo — Adam Dunn is mountainous.
The Nationals plan to open the right field bleachers for batting practice this season. The second coming of Nats principal owner Mark Lerner’s boyhood hero Frank Howard seeks his sixth-straight 40-homer season. Dunn is 20 pounds heavier than Howard while matching the 6-foot-7 frame. The Nats are going to lose a lot of balls this season.
» Nats players excited about Dunn signing
Team officials were giddy yesterday as pitchers and catchers report to spring training tomorrow. Dunn will split time in left field and first base during spring training as Washington also ponders whether oft-injured Nick Johnson can play at first once more. Either way, Dunn is the new cleanup hitter with titanic blasts offsetting enough whiffs to power wind turbines.
“Things just got a lot better in Nats Town,” manager Manny Acta said.
And a lot more expensive. The Lerner family finally proved they’re not running a baseball team like a shopping mall spreadsheet. While $20 million over two years isn’t a blockbuster deal, it’s good faith money in building a franchise.
Dunn isn’t worth $20 million in ticket sales. Few players are, but when the Nats are 20 games out in August, fans will still watch while Dunn bangs out his 31st and 32nd homers. The team won’t become an afterthought during Redskins training camp.
It took a little moxy for the Lerners to spend $20 million in this economy. Baseball is braced for drastic attendance and advertising losses. Many small market teams are hunkering down. Winning is about survival, not pennants.
Still, this is only the Nats’ first spending spree. Washington must sign pitcher Stephen Strasburg with the expected first overall pick in the June draft. After not inking their top choice last season, the Nats must show fans they’ll go $12 million for Strasburg in June, not August, to develop a prospect that could crack the lineup in September. Strasburg is a franchise cornerstone on a mound that lacks even one top-notch pitcher. The Lerners must also sign the 10th overall selection. It’s an expensive draft, but fans demand results after supporting four seasons of bad baseball.
For now, Dunn gives Washington fans some hope of a possible 80-win season. Off the return of healthy players alone, the Nats are 10 games better than last year’s 59-win debacle.
Sure, Dunn strikes out more than 175 times annually. But, he’s a 40-homer, 100 RBI, 100 walks man. You trade some errors for some dingers. After all, the Nats home run leader last year was 14.
“Ryan Zimmerman is the face of this franchise,” Dunn said. “Hopefully, I can take some pressure off.”
Washingtonians have wanted a slugger for a long time. Howard remains a legend four decades later. Maybe Dunn is next in line.
“My best years are definitely coming,” he said.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com or e-mail [email protected].
