8. Justin Dunn
Minors (AA): 131.2 innings, 9-5 record, 3.55 ERA, 1.192 WHiP, 39 walks, 158 strikeouts
Majors: 6.2 innings, 2.70 ERA, 16.50 WHiP, nine walks, five strikeouts
One of the pieces acquired by the Seattle Mariners as part of the Edwin Diaz/Robinson Cano trade, Justin Dunn is another pitcher with excellent stuff and suspect command.
Originally used as a reliever in college, Dunn moved to the rotation as a Junior. There, he showed an impressive four pitch repertoire that made scouts fall in love with his potential. Once he showed that he could handle a starter’s workload, it was just a matter of when he would be selected. The Mariners made that pick with the 19th overall selection in the 2016 MLB Draft, adding another intriguing arm to their farm system.
It is easy to be impressed with Dunn. He has a plus fastball that sits in the mid 90s, but has hit 97 MPH. His slider has late bite, and has consistently been a strikeout pitch, especially as he can throw it with varying velocity. Dunn’s curve lags behind the slider, but has shown flashes of at least being an average offering. He also throws a change that has showed some promise against lefties, although it is still a work in progress.
While Dunn has the arsenal to potentially be a middle of the rotation arm, his command and control of his stuff will ultimately determine his fate. He did show improvements in both areas in the minors last season, only to have those issues reappear in his brief major league debut. If that continues, Dunn could ultimately end up as a multi-inning reliever.
Justin Dunn has plenty of potential. However, if he is to reach his ceiling, his control and command of his arsenal will need to improve.