The third and final piece of the Adam Eaton trade has reached the big leagues.
Dane Dunning, the No. 5 White Sox prospect in our preseason rankings is going to make his MLB debut Wednesday night. White Sox manager Rick Renteria announced the move after Tuesday’s win against the Detroit Tigers.
It will be a marquee prospect matchup with fellow top pitching prospect Casey Mize going for the Tigers. Mize was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft.
Dunning came over from the Washington Nationals along with Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez for Eaton in December of 2016. He was drafted No. 29 overall six months earlier.
He caught the attention of Sox fans with a dominant 2017 season, his first year in the system. Dunning recorded 168 strikeouts in 144 innings between Low-A Kannapolis and High-A Winston-Salem. Dunning also paired that with an impressive 2.94 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.
The next year, Dunning continued his impressive journey through the White Sox system with 69 strikeouts in 62 innings in Double-A Birmingham after starting the season with Winston-Salem. Dunning also recorded a 2.76 ERA in Birmingham. It is also worth noting that Double-A is typically considered one of the best tests of a young pitcher. Dunning was acing his test.
Then, Dunning got shut down in June of 2018 with a forearm issue that the organization hoped would heal without surgery by spring training in 2019. However, Dunning experienced more issues with his arm in camp and underwent Tommy John surgery in March. He spent the entire 2019 season rehabbing the injury. Dunning, who was the No. 80 prospect in all of baseball at the time of his injury, according to MLB Pipeline, likely would have made his MLB debut in 2019 had it not been for the injury.
Regardless, Dunning is here now and hoping to make an impact. Dunning has three plus pitches that scouts argue could be considered his best pitch. He also had begun to demonstrate a playable changeup that gives him four pitches he can consistently throw for strikes.
Dunning’s fastball typically sits in the low 90s, but has run up to 96 and plays faster with heavy sink. His curveball and slider are above average secondary pitches and play well due to the huge break they both produce. Prior to his injury, Dunning also demonstrated the ability to consistently command all of his pitches.
It’s hard to predict how Dunning will look in his first game action in nearly two years, but he is certainly worth keeping an eye on. While this may only be a spot start for Dunning, how he looks this season could dictate his chances of securing a rotation spot in 2021.
Dunning got some game action during Summer Camp. He pitched intrasquad games and in an exhibition against the Milwaukee Brewers.
White Sox general manager Rick Hahn teased a potential Dunning call-up two weeks ago, but did not put a date on it.
When Dunning spoke with FutureSox’s Ken Sawilchik earlier this season. He said he felt ready to go.
“I’m feeling really good right now,” Dunning told FutureSox in a phone interview. “They have me out in Schaumburg working out and getting in game-like situations. My arm feels healthy. I feel ready to compete and contribute.” Dunning said.
He will have his chance Wednesday night.
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