Blake Dunn Adjusts Mentally And Physically For A Brand New Start

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Dateline: Goodyear, Arizona

Blake Dunn has as much athletic ability as anyone on the team.

He is one of the fastest players on the team and plays an aggressive centerfield. Dunn has a good feel for the game.

Manager Terry Francona said this time last year that Dunn could be an every day player in the Major Leagues and had a good spring.

Once the season started, it was a different story for the 27-year old from Holland, Michigan, who became the Reds' 15th round pick out of Western Michigan University.

Dunn won his first spot on an opening day roster by hitting .342 in the Cactus League with two doubles, a triple and two home runs.

"There is no reason he can't be an every day player," Francona said. "Are you going to see it here right now? I don't think so unless something really happens. I would never want to pigeonhole someone to say hey, you can only do this, or you can only do that. Physically, he can do it. Let there playing dictated not what I say in February."

The only problem with that is Dunn went from being an ever day player at Triple A to a bench player on the big league club.

"Rece Hinds, same thing. It might not happen on their timetable and I get it. Sometimes its hard. If you don't get a chance to play every day, it's hard to play every day. Some guys get one chance and they've got to make it. Some guys get more chances. Sometimes its the luck of the draw. If someone gets hurt or you have a place for them. It is hard not to put more pressure on themselves. You try to tell them but its hard to do. I've been through it."

When Dunn went to Louisville in May after 30 games and hit a paltry .150. 

He slumped with the Bats, too.

"It was obviously a great start to the year," Dunn recalled. "I played really well in camp, made the team. I struggled a little bit and got sent down. I figured somethings out at Triple A."

Dunn hit even worse at Louisville in his first 14 games. His average was even lower, hitting .113 at the end of May. By the end of June it was .198. Then he hit .354 in July, .358 in August and ended the season with a .291 after hitting .340 over the last 67 games.

What made the difference?

"I worked on some physical things, some mental things and had a good second half. I was happy with that." Dunn said. "From the break (All-Star) I continued to refine some stuff. I didn't change much. I am taking what worked at the end of last season and took it  into this year. I feel really good."

"The physical adjustments I made allowed me to make more quality contact," Dunn said.  "I was able to control the barrel (of the bat) a little bit more. I was able to capitalize on mistakes pitchers made. I think that's one of the things at the big league level. I had really, really good quality at bats the last two, two and a half months."

"I did some mental performance training too," Dunn revealed. "It really helped me a ton. Zach Sorenson, he was our mental performance guy last year. He's not with us this year. I am going to work on that every day, with him or someone else. I haven't figured that out yet but I will continue to work on that every day."