Adam Dunn did what was asked of him during his two years with the Nationals. I think it is only right to give The Big Donkey his own day.
As far as tongue-in-cheek holidays go around the league, there is Bobby Bonilla Day and Armando Galarraga Blown Call Day. All we are asking for is Big Donkey Day in the District, honoring the day Adam Dunn signed his free agent contract with the Washington Nationals back in 2009.
The man did everything that was asked of him in the two years he was in town. Well, maybe not everything. The club was a fifth place team when Dunn was signed to a 2 YR/$20M contract on February 11th, 2009. And they remained a fifth place team for the duration of his stay. The Nationals would increase their win total from 59 to 69, however.
The Big Donkey, as he is affectionally known, struck out a lot (he lead the league four times in his career, though not once while wearing a Nats uniform) and was slow on the base paths. He was a model of consistency though. We should have assumed this, as he hit exactly 40 home runs in the four years prior to signing with the Nationals.
In his two years with the Nats, he was good for 80 runs, 145 hits, 38 bombs and 104 runs batted in each season. His second year with the club showed he walked less and struck out more. On the defensive side of things Dunn made too many errors, and was not fleet of foot around the bag at first base. Semantics.
Man, when he hit those home runs, they sure were moon shots.
All told, Dunn played 14 years in the majors. He was a member of five different organizations, though is best known for his time with the Cincinnati Reds. His two years with the Nationals were just a blip on the radar in his career, though they were a productive two years. Dunn left Washington to sign with the Chicago White Sox and was replaced in DC by Adam LaRoche.
The two-time All-Star hit 462 career home runs during his time in the league and received one Hall of Fame vote last year, in his first year eligible. Time to give The Donk a little well deserved recognition and allow February 11th to be his forever.