Frank Thomas: Dunn "Is Playing Out Of Position"
CHICAGO (WSCR) Adam Dunn's well documented struggles are both surprising and unheard of for the slugger. One of the most consistent hitters over the last decade, Dunn's batting average, hits and home runs are all well below average after two months with the White Sox.
But don't count Frank Thomas among those who are surprised.
"I knew this was going to happen, to be honest," Thomas told the Boers & Bernstein Show on 670 The Score. "This guy is playing out of position. He's been an outfielder/first baseman his whole career. You come to a new league and you gotta DH every day? It's not easy. I've been there. Over the course of my career I probably lost 30 points on my batting average once I became a full time DH. It's just really hard to stay loose annd stay focused and stay a part of the game."
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Still, Thomas is still optimistic Dunn will turn things around.
"I think he'll be fine going into the third month of the season. I really thought he would be in trouble the first couple months," he said.
Thomas went through a similar transition with the White Sox when Paul Konerko joined the White Sox in 1999 and said he gave Dunn some advice at the beginning of the season.
"I talked to him early about it. I said don't get discouraged because people really don't get the DH position. I really thought Ozzie would mix him and Paulie in and out a lot for the first couple of months and I really think that would have helped a lot more. But just trying to become a full time DH when you haven't done it before, it's a tough, tough job," Thomas said.
