Dunn expects to pull his weight for Sox' offense

The comparison began before the ink was dry on Adam Dunn's four-year, $56 million contract.

The White Sox' new left-handed power hitter was going to be a younger, bigger version of Jim Thome.

On the surface, the link makes sense, considering both sluggers have been known to put a charge into the baseball and send it deep over the right-field fence.

“I'm still a pull hitter, don't get me wrong,” Dunn said recently at the Sox' training camp in Glendale, Ariz. “But it's kind of been the more baseball I've played, the better I've become at going the opposite way.”

There are left-handed power hitters in the game — Thome, Boston's David Ortiz and Philadelphia's Ryan Howard in particular — that face the “shift” nearly every time they come to the plate.

Since the trio pulls so many pitches to right field, opposing third basemen move to short, the shortstop slides over to second and the second basemen wind up in short right field.

It's a sound strategy, and it dares Thome, Ortiz and Howard to hit the ball the opposite (left field) way.

All three can do it on occasion, but not nearly as well as Dunn. According to Nats Stats, Dunn hit 15 of his 38 home runs with Washington last season to left field (11) and center (4).

Considering the way the baseball carries at Dunn's new home — U.S. Cellular Field — opposing pitchers figure to be extra wary.

“I'm at the point where I trust that I can go that way (left field) rather than having to try to pull everything,” Dunn said. “When I first came up, I really wasn't a pull hitter. I was pretty much inside-out on everything and as I evolved, I started thinking that I had to pull everything and that's when the power started coming.

“Now that I've kind of figured my swing out, I'm able to let (the pitch) get in deep at times and try to kind of hit it where it's pitched.”

When he lets the ball come in, Dunn has the ability to connect and go to left field with authority. When the pitch is outside, the 6-foot-6, 285-pounder can reach out and pull it to right field.

Possessing the size and bulk only helps Dunn hit bombs to all fields, but the 31-year-old designated hitter/first baseman said the technique is more important.

“I just swing and hopefully it's going to go where it's going to go,” said Dunn, who was batting .091 (1-for-11) with no home runs and 4 strikeouts heading into Saturday's Cactus League game against the Cleveland Indians.

“I don't think it has anything to do with brute strength at all. I think it's just knowing … I don't go up there saying, ‘OK, I'm going to hit the ball to left field.'

“I go up there trying to square up a pitch. If it happens to be outside, I'm going to take the swing I would take if it's an inside pitch and just hope I square it up and hit it hard.”

Few players in major-league history have consistently hit the ball harder or farther than Dunn.

“Finally, we got a lefty with home run power,” Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. “It's been a while, since we had Jim (Thome). It's nice. He's good. In our park, he could hit 50 home runs. He'll hit balls to left field that will keep going.”

Dunn has hit 38 or more home runs for seven straight seasons, which ties him with Babe Ruth for second place all time. Rafael Palmeiro (nine) leads the pack, but Dunn is closing fast.

As Pierzynski, among others, have mentioned, 50 home runs seems like a reasonable goal for Dunn, who hit a career-high 46 with the Reds in 2004.

“Sure,” Dunn said when asked if 50 HRs is within reach. “Why not? I'm not going to say I'm going to go out and hit 50, but I absolutely think it's attainable. You know, I think that every year. But I really don't think there's a specific number you should lock in on.

“Anyone can hit 50. Really, it's 50 good swings if you think about it. It's 50 good swings out of, what, 650 at-bats? We'll see. I've got to get the first one first.”