Shawon Dunston

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Shawon Dunston
Shawon Dunston
Shortstop
Born: March 21, 1963 (1963-03-21) (age 45)
Brooklyn, New York
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 9, 1985
for the Chicago Cubs
Final game
September 29, 2002
for the San Francisco Giants
Career statistics
Batting average     .269
Home runs     150
Hits     1,597
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Shawon Donnell Dunston (born March 21, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York) is a former shortstop and right-handed batter in Major League Baseball. He resides in Fremont, CA. He was the first overall pick in the 1982 MLB draft by the Chicago Cubs, and played for the Cubs (1985-95, 1997), San Francisco Giants (1996, 1998, 2001-02), Pittsburgh Pirates (1997), Cleveland Indians (1998), St. Louis Cardinals (1999, 2000) and New York Mets (1999). He is currently an instructor for the San Francisco Giants.[1]

Beloved by Cubs fans, Dunston was a rifle-armed shortstop with some pop in his bat. He joined double-play partner Ryne Sandberg as an All-Star in 1988 and 1990. Dunston was also a key contributor to the Cubs' NL East division title in 1989, hitting .278 with 20 doubles, 6 triples, 9 home runs, 60 runs batted in and 19 stolen bases.

Dunston's fans were known for holding up a "Shawon-O-Meter" at Cubs games, which displayed his batting average, followed by the words "And rising!!!" The Shawon-O-Meter was frequently seen by baseball fans around the country, as Cubs games were then being broadcast on superstation WGN.

In the second half of his career, Dunston was sidelined by back surgery, and various aches and pains in his throwing arm and his legs. Told that his career was in jeopardy following back surgery, he sought help from his friend John Balano. With Balano's help as his private strength and conditioning coach, Dunston returned to the Cubs and earned his starting job at shortstop back. In fact, he played another 10 years and retained Balano in each off-season for (according to major league insiders) grueling 5:00 a.m. workouts. The two remain close, and Dunston on several occasions has referred to Balano as his "Big Brother".

It was Balano, along with Dusty Baker, who talked Dunston out of premature retirement when he was traded to the Mets from St. Louis. Dunston's 15-pitch at bat and subsequent stolen base led to him scoring the winning run in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series (versus the Atlanta Braves) and assured that the Mets would live another day as the series traveled back to Atlanta. To this day, that at bat is part of major league playoff lore.

At the end of his career, he was used mainly as a fourth outfielder and a role player off the bench. He won the 1996 Willie Mac Award for his spirit and leadership. In 2001 in his third stint with the San Francisco Giants he famously made a bet with slugger Barry Bonds during the first day of spring training, that Bonds would break Mark McGwire's single season home run record. Bonds told Dunston that if he broke the record then he would get him a new Mercedes car. When the season began Bonds started well hitting 11 homers in the first month and a record 39 by the all-star break. During a road game against Colorado Bonds smashed 3 home runs, numbers 61, 62 and 63 in a 9-4 Giants victory. After homer no. 63 the camera switched to Dunston in the dugout as he sat back laughing and pretending to steer a car. Bonds would go on to hit 73 home runs during that year breaking the previous record of 70 set by Mark McGwire in 1998. Dunston's crowning achievement was his last season when he played with the San Francisco Giants as they battled the Anaheim Angels to the brink in the 2002 World Series. In Game 6 Dunston hit a 2 run home run to left field, and was greeted at home plate with a hug and kiss from his then young son Shawon, Jr., who was a bat boy for the Giants.

Dunston was a career .269 hitter with 150 home runs and 668 RBI in 1814 games. He seldom walked, which is why, despite his decent batting average, during the 18 years he played his on-base percentage was the second worst of those with at least 4500 plate appearances. (Ozzie Guillén was the worst.) Bill James noted that Dunston was an "eternal rookie, a player who continued until the end of his career to make rookie mistakes."[2]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Davis sees himself making more great catches this year
  2. ^ James, Bill (2003-04-06). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. New York: Free Press, p. 641. ISBN 0743227220. 

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Mike Moore		 First overall pick in the MLB Entry Draft
1982		 Succeeded by
Tim Belcher
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