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2007 A gargantuan prospect who weighed nearly 300 pounds as a high school senior, Dunlap has been fighting the Battle of the Bulge since before he was drafted out of Contra Costa Community College in 2004. Skipped up from rookie ball to High-A in 2005, Dunlap repeated the level last year and showed considerable progress, though, like most Vero Beach players, his home/road splits (.524 SLG home, .396 SLG road) reveal that his home park overstated his power. He`s an extremely patient hitter--we`ll hesitate to praise his `plate discipline` in this case--who struggles with maintaining his balance and has yet to convert his bulk into power on a consistent basis. Unsurprisingly, his physique hampers him in the field as well. The Dodgers have helped Dunlap with diet and conditioning, but he`ll have to take control of the situation himself before it stalls his progress. 2005 Yes, it was Ogden. Yes, it's the Pioneer League. Yes, many of the pitchers in it were flipping burgers a few months ago, and think the current cast of SNL is actually funny. But Dunlap just dismantled opposing pitchers. He hit for average, hit for power, showed great selectivity and patience. He faces the potential Travis Hafner problem in the long term; some work on his defense is going to be part of his daily routine if he wants to have a big league career.
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