Rece Hinds' power-packed start will remind Reds fans of this former All-Star slugger

Cincinnati Reds right fielder Rece Hinds has set Major League Baseball on fire over his first three games in the big leagues. Hinds is 6-for-12 with five of his six hits falling for extra bases. The rookie’s prodigious power and high strikeout tendency emits echoes of another slugging Reds outfielder from years’ past.

Adam Dunn made his MLB debut for the Reds in 2001. Affectionately nicknamed the “Big Donkey” because of his size — Dunn was 6-foot-6, 285 pounds — the slugger quickly became well known for his monster home runs and penchant for striking out. In 286 plate appearances, Dunn hit 19 home runs and struck out 74 times during the course of his rookie year.

While Hinds isn’t quite as enormous as Dunn, there are similar parallels in their profile at the plate. Hinds has struck out four times so far in his young major league career, but it should be noted that in 328 plate appearances at Triple-A this year, he had an alarming 38.4% K-rate. By comparison, Dunn’s strikeout rate during his rookie season was 25.9%. The major league average is a little over 20%.

Rece Hinds' power-packed start will remind Reds fans of former All-Star Adam Dunn

On the plus side, the Reds rookie also displays shades of Dunn’s power at the plate. In 109 games at Double-A last year, Hinds hit 23 home runs and drove in 98 RBIs. In just 77 games at Triple-A this year, he crushed 13 round-trippers. There is a belief that those numbers are only scratching the surface of what his power numbers could be. 

Shortly after Dunn made his debut for the Reds, he made headlines as he set a National League record with 12 home runs in August. Hinds has made similar headlines, albeit in a much smaller sample size, by recording five extra base hits in his first two games. 

The Big Donkey went on to hit 462 home runs over 14 seasons in the big leagues. And while he was known for hitting homers and striking out, Dunn retired with an impressive .360 on-base percentage despite a .237 career average. Dunn also made two All-Star appearances and was elected into the Reds Hall of Fame. If Hinds is able to have a similar career, then the Reds will have struck gold on the former second round pick.

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