Cincinnati Reds Adam Dunn against the current Hall of Fame ballot

As a steroid-free slugger for the Cincinnati Reds, Adam Dunn has a shot at Cooperstown.

Adam Dunn was among the best players in baseball when he played for the Cincinnati Reds.  That may not translate into an election into the Hall of Fame.  This year is probably too stacked and he isn’t eligible yet.

Lately WAR (wins above replacement) has been the hot stat among Hall of Fame voters.  Unfortunately, it is one of Dunn’s weaker areas.  His career WAR is just 16.9 which would rank him 31st on this year’s Hall of Fame ballot.

Dunn hit 462 home runs.  That would rank him between Chipper Jones and Vladimir Guerrero at eighth.  Ahead of Jones, however, are only two players that were never implicated within the steroids scandal.

For a slugger Dunn’s RBIs numbers aren’t that great either.  His 1169 career RBIs would place him fifteenth among this year’s ballot between Edgar Martinez and Johnny Damon.  He would even rank behind another former Red searching for Hall of Fame votes, Scott Rolen.

Want your voice heard? Join the Blog Red Machine team!

Write for us!

Walks is where Dunn looks very attractive.  He has 1,317 career base on balls.  That would rank him sixth on the current ballot between Manny Ramirez and Fred McGriff.

His OBP should be competitive then, too.  Unfortunately, his .364 OBP only ties with Rolen for tenth.  His comparable group, McGriff and Guerrero, is also above his in the rankings.

Adam Dunn’s inability to represent the Cincinnati Reds in Cooperstown may be a sign of the times.

More from Reds History

• Reds: Johnny Bench congratulates Salvador Perez for breaking HR record
• Reds: 3 players who’ll force their way onto the roster by the All-Star break
• Merry Clinchmas: Jay Bruce’s greatest moment with the Reds
• Cincinnati Reds: Historically, hot start may mean start of something great
• Cincinnati Reds: The best draft class in team history

What has become a more important stat of late is OPS.  Dunn’s .854 career number is solid, but it is not elite. That ranks him thirteenth among the current Hall of Fame ballot behind second baseman Jeff Kent.

His slugging percent is likewise low.  His career number of .490 would tie him with Rolen for twelfth.  Again, McGriff and Guerrero are both ahead of Dunn in the rankings.

There are only nineteen position players on this year’s ballot.  Dunn’s career runs scored of 1,096 would rank him seventh behind Carlos Lee.  That isn’t good.

Dunn 1,631 hits only leaves him ahead of Orlando Hudson and Hideki Matsui.  Matsui, though, played much of his career in Japan.  Again, the sheer volume of years played hurts Dunn.

Next: A look at the Reds at the Winter Meetings

In balance, Dunn appears just short of being a credible candidate for the Hall of Fame.  As baseball moves forward, though, more players that focused on three outcome hitting will make the ballot.  In that arena, however,  Dunn may just have a chance.