"Why? Because baseball makes zero sense."
May 1, 2018 6:34 PM Subscribe
SB Nation editor and fan favorite Jon Bois and friends field up another episode of Dorktown. This time, the discussion is about Adam Dunn, being a "four true outcome" hitter, and how he created nearly $7M of pointless labor. (SLYT)
Next time on Dorktown: Rickey Henderson.
Jon Bois previously.
Next time on Dorktown: Rickey Henderson.
Jon Bois previously.
I would like to know why this guy cratered so hard in facing left-handed pitchers for a season, but it is evidently a mystery.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 8:08 PM on May 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 8:08 PM on May 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
One of my favorite things about Adam Dunn is that he was one of the most incredibly consistent players ever. He hit exactly 40 home runs 4 years in a row and followed that up with 2 years where he hit 38, an interim disaster year, and 1 year where he hit 41. He had 4 years in that streak with OBPs between .386 and .388, and got between 100 and 106 RBI every year between 2004-2008 except one. For 6 or 7 years there, you knew exactly what Adam Dunn was going to give you. I expect having so little of his contribution relying on the opposing defense is part of that.
He's also quite possibly the worst defensive player of all-time from a combination of playing the easiest positions on the field and still being extremely bad in the field. His fielding was so bad it basically breaks the bottom of the scale of complex fielding metrics.
He also seemed like he at least has a sense of humor based on stuff I've read about him over the years, so hopefully he can also appreciate what a weird player he was.
posted by Copronymus at 8:11 PM on May 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
He's also quite possibly the worst defensive player of all-time from a combination of playing the easiest positions on the field and still being extremely bad in the field. His fielding was so bad it basically breaks the bottom of the scale of complex fielding metrics.
He also seemed like he at least has a sense of humor based on stuff I've read about him over the years, so hopefully he can also appreciate what a weird player he was.
posted by Copronymus at 8:11 PM on May 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
About Barry Bonds: "Toward the end of his career he started exercising and eating well balanced breakfasts." Pure gold.
posted by mondo dentro at 8:13 PM on May 1, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by mondo dentro at 8:13 PM on May 1, 2018 [18 favorites]
You forgot to describe Jon Bois as a living national treasure
posted by DoctorFedora at 8:16 PM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by DoctorFedora at 8:16 PM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
This was great, but oh man I'm excited about Ricky next week.
posted by Carillon at 9:03 PM on May 1, 2018
posted by Carillon at 9:03 PM on May 1, 2018
MeFiWiki needs a page listing all of the national treasures
posted by rhizome at 9:04 PM on May 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 9:04 PM on May 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
I love Jon Bois videos but oh man somebody please get in there and work on those audio levels, he's a quiet talker so you have to turn it up for him but then keep your finger on the volume button for the music and Alex's voice.
posted by jason_steakums at 9:51 PM on May 1, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by jason_steakums at 9:51 PM on May 1, 2018 [4 favorites]
You look at Adam Dunn toward the end of his career and you think, big, lumbering oaf, and you'd be right, but he wasn't always that guy. I watched him play several times during his third season in the minors, at age 20 for the brand-new Dayton Dragons. He was a fast, fairly graceful outfielder. He even stole 24 bases, leading his team, while only being caught five times.
That's an 83% success rate, which (for just that one season, yes) compares favorably to the career 81% of... Rickey Henderson!
posted by martin q blank at 9:51 PM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
That's an 83% success rate, which (for just that one season, yes) compares favorably to the career 81% of... Rickey Henderson!
posted by martin q blank at 9:51 PM on May 1, 2018 [5 favorites]
I love millennials.
However, the violence they have done to our noble word “versus” I cannot abide. They not only verb it into “verse” meaning “to contest” as in “Will you verse me at Overwatch,” but they cut it short as in this video, which describes “Adam Dunn verse Clayton Kershaw.”
It’s fine, I guess.
posted by chrchr at 10:29 PM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
However, the violence they have done to our noble word “versus” I cannot abide. They not only verb it into “verse” meaning “to contest” as in “Will you verse me at Overwatch,” but they cut it short as in this video, which describes “Adam Dunn verse Clayton Kershaw.”
It’s fine, I guess.
posted by chrchr at 10:29 PM on May 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'd pay money just for the Bonds shade.
posted by drewbage1847 at 11:52 PM on May 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by drewbage1847 at 11:52 PM on May 1, 2018 [3 favorites]
Thanks to those same videogames, chrchr, there's a millennial in my house who says "versusing" for opposing something.
Get off my lawn.
posted by rokusan at 5:51 AM on May 2, 2018
Get off my lawn.
posted by rokusan at 5:51 AM on May 2, 2018
I miss the pointless animation of his old series - I don't think there's any benefit to jumping to two guys hanging out with headphones on, and I'd like to see stock photos of late 20thC office items amusingly arranged while graphs go whooshing about instead. I also miss the atmospheric jazz soundtrack swelling up to take over whenever there was a pause in the narration.
The first point was giggle-worthy. There was a stretch where he couldn't hit lefties to save his life, except the best leftie to pitch in the modern era, that guy might as well have been a tee-ball stand. Personal performance is an odd thing - and to see it at once so inconsistent and consistent is a fun musing.
posted by Slap*Happy at 8:16 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
The first point was giggle-worthy. There was a stretch where he couldn't hit lefties to save his life, except the best leftie to pitch in the modern era, that guy might as well have been a tee-ball stand. Personal performance is an odd thing - and to see it at once so inconsistent and consistent is a fun musing.
posted by Slap*Happy at 8:16 AM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
Ok. This video discussing the career of Adam Dunn misses possibly his crowning achievement (and I love Jon Bois’ work, so not knocking him.) So...
August 10, 2004. Dunn is facing José Lima. Dunn swings and crushes a Lima pitch. It goes, and goes, and goes... completely out of Great American Ballpark. I mean, he absolutely destroyed that pitch. The ball landed on a street, and continued bouncing and rolling for a little bit until it came to rest on a piece of wood in the Ohio River. The border of Kentucky begins at the bank of the river.
So Adam Dunn literally hit a home run into another state.
posted by azpenguin at 8:17 AM on May 2, 2018 [20 favorites]
August 10, 2004. Dunn is facing José Lima. Dunn swings and crushes a Lima pitch. It goes, and goes, and goes... completely out of Great American Ballpark. I mean, he absolutely destroyed that pitch. The ball landed on a street, and continued bouncing and rolling for a little bit until it came to rest on a piece of wood in the Ohio River. The border of Kentucky begins at the bank of the river.
So Adam Dunn literally hit a home run into another state.
posted by azpenguin at 8:17 AM on May 2, 2018 [20 favorites]
The border of Kentucky begins at the bank of the river.
Interesting, according to this link the border was established by the Supreme Court in 1980 as variably off the shoreline (approx. 100 to 500 ft.). So not the middle of the river, but not at the shore line either.
posted by e1c at 10:09 AM on May 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
Interesting, according to this link the border was established by the Supreme Court in 1980 as variably off the shoreline (approx. 100 to 500 ft.). So not the middle of the river, but not at the shore line either.
posted by e1c at 10:09 AM on May 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
The dry deadpan delivery of their lines about balanced breakfasts and the American dream is superlative.
posted by brainwane at 11:35 AM on May 3, 2018
posted by brainwane at 11:35 AM on May 3, 2018
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Jon Bois + Rickey Henderson is going to be gold, though.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 6:48 PM on May 1, 2018 [3 favorites]