Justin Warren Dunn (born September 22, 1995) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the Cincinnati Reds of

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

. Dunn played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

at Boston College and was selected by the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

with the 19th overall pick in the first round of the 2016 MLB draft.

Amateur career

Dunn was born in

Freeport, New York Freeport is a village in the town of Hempstead, in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York state. The population was 43,713 at the 2010 census, making it the second largest village in New York by population. A settleme ...

to Ed, a grant administrator, and Donna, a health company recruiter. As an eighth grader, he was noticed playing at a showcase with the Boys Club of New York by the baseball coach of The Gunnery, a boarding school in

Washington, Connecticut Washington is a rural town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, in the New England region of the United States. The population was 3,646 at the 2020 census. Washington is known for its picturesque countryside, historic architecture, and active civi ...

. At 13 years old, Dunn left his family on Long Island to attend The Gunnery. The

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

selected Dunn in the 37th round of the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

. He did not sign and attended Boston College to play

for the

Boston College Eagles The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivisi ...

. As an 18-year-old freshman in 2014, Dunn pitched innings. He went 1–1 with a 7.30

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) and 12 strikeouts. As a sophomore, he appeared in 20 games with three starts. A month into the season he became the team's closer. He finished the year 4–4 with a 4.94 ERA, 46 strikeouts and five saves. After the 2015 season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the

Cotuit Kettleers The Cotuit Kettleers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in the village of Cotuit, Massachusetts, which is in the southwest corner of the town of Barnstable. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the lea ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Dunn started his junior year as the closer, but was moved into the starting rotation during the season. He recorded a 2.06 ERA with a 4–2 record in his junior season.

Career

New York Mets

Dunn was drafted by the

in the first round of the 2016 MLB draft. He signed with the Mets and was assigned to the

Brooklyn Cyclones The Brooklyn Cyclones are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and play at Maimonides Park, just off the Coney Island Boar ...

, where he spent all of 2016, posting a 1–1 record with a 1.50 ERA in 11 games (eight starts). He spent 2017 with the St. Lucie Mets where he went 5–6 with a 5.00 ERA in 20 games (16 starts).

MLB.com MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. (a subsidiary of MLB). MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports column ...

ranked Dunn as New York's third best prospect going into the 2018 season. He began the season with St. Lucie and was promoted to the

Binghamton Rumble Ponies The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mirab ...

during the year. In 24 starts between the two clubs, Dunn was 8–8 with a 3.59 ERA.

Seattle Mariners

On December 3, 2018, the Mets traded Dunn,

Jay Bruce Jay Allen Bruce (born April 3, 1987) is an American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies and New Y ...

, Jarred Kelenic,

Anthony Swarzak Anthony Ray Swarzak (born September 10, 1985) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, Chica ...

, and

Gerson Bautista Gerson Bautista (born May 31, 1995) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the New York Mets in 2018 and also played for the Seattle Mariners ...

to the

for

Edwin Díaz Edwin Orlando Díaz Laboy (born March 22, 1994) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Seattle Mariners. Within two months of his MLB debut, Díaz brok ...

Robinson Canó Robinson José Canó Mercedes (; born October 22, 1982) is a Dominican-American professional baseball second baseman who is currently a free agent. He previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, San Die ...

, and $20 million. He spent 2019 with the

Arkansas Travelers The Arkansas Travelers, also known informally as The Travs, are a Minor League Baseball team based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Travelers are affiliated with the Seattle Mariners as members of the Texas League. History The team succeeded ...

, going 9–5 with a 3.55 ERA over 25 starts. He was named to the 2019 All-Star Futures Game. The Mariners selected Dunn's contract and promoted him to the major leagues on September 10, 2019. He made his major league debut on September 12 versus the Cincinnati Reds, allowing two runs over of an inning. In 2020, he led the AL in stolen bases allowed, with 13. On August 19, 2021, Dunn was placed on the 60-day injured list with a shoulder strain, an injury that had kept him out since mid-June. Dunn was shut down for the season in mid-September due to the injury.

Cincinnati Reds

On March 14, 2022, the Mariners traded Dunn, Jake Fraley, Brandon Williamson, and a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

( Connor Phillips) to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for

Eugenio Suárez Eugenio Alejandro Suárez (born July 18, 1991) is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds. Suárez was an All-Star in 2 ...

and

Jesse Winker Jesse Winker (born August 17, 1993) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners. He was an All-Star in 202 ...

. Dunn began his Reds tenure on the 60-day injured list, with a report noting that the same shoulder strain from 2021 would keep him shelved for months. On March 4, 2023, it was announced that Dunn would be shut down for “a couple of months” so he could recover from inflammation in the right subscapularis muscle of his rotator cuff.

References

External links

Boston College Eagles bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Justin 1995 births Living people African-American baseball players People from Freeport, New York The Frederick Gunn School alumni Baseball players from New York (state) Major League Baseball pitchers Seattle Mariners players Cincinnati Reds players Boston College Eagles baseball players Cotuit Kettleers players Brooklyn Cyclones players St. Lucie Mets players Binghamton Rumble Ponies players Arkansas Travelers players 21st-century African-American sportspeople Louisville Bats players Dayton Dragons players