Michael Dennis Dunne (born October 27, 1962) is an American former professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
player who pitched in the
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) from – and in . He was a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic Baseball Team.
Career
Dunne played baseball at
Limestone Community High School
Limestone Community High School is a public high school in Bartonville, Peoria County, Illinois. , the school had an average enrollment of 867 students and average full-time equivalent of 70 teachers.
Limestone Community High School is the only ...
and
Bradley University
Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. The ...
.
He was named 1984
Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest.
History
The MVC was established ...
Player of the Year and graduated from Bradley with a Bachelor in Science in 1985.
As part of the United States team in
baseball at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, he pitched two innings against Italy; the U.S. won the game, 16–1.
On June 4, , he was drafted by the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
in the 1st round (7th pick) of the
1984 Major League Baseball Draft
First round selections
The following are the first round picks in the 1984 Major League Baseball draft.
Other notable players
*Jeff Blauser†, 1st round (secondary phase), 4th overall by the Atlanta Braves
* Greg Maddux‡, 2nd round, 31st ...
, and signed with them. He was traded to the
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
along with outfielder
Andy Van Slyke
Andrew James Van Slyke (born December 21, 1960) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder.
Career
Van Slyke earned All-American honors in baseball as a senior at New Hartford Central High school in New Hartford, New York. ...
and catcher
Mike LaValliere
Michael Eugene LaValliere (born August 18, 1960) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago White Sox.
Amateu ...
for catcher
Tony Peña
Antonio Francisco Peña Padilla (; born June 4, 1957) is a Dominican former professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Pirates, Cardinals, Red Sox, Indians, White Sox, and Astros. ...
on April 1, 1987 before he could pitch in a big league game for the Redbirds. He made his major league debut on June 5, 1987, starting against 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 ...
and
Dwight Gooden
Dwight Eugene Gooden (born November 16, 1964), nicknamed "Dr. K" and "Doc", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Gooden pitched from 1984 to 1994 and from 1996 to 2000 for the N ...
.
Dunne had a fine rookie season with the Pirates, going 13–6 with a 3.03 ERA and allowing just 143 hits in 164 innings. Those numbers led to him finishing second in the
National League Rookie of the Year
In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...
voting to
Benito Santiago
Benito Santiago Rivera (born March 9, 1965), is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1986 to 2005, most prominently as a member of the San Diego Padres, with whom he was a fou ...
. On April 21, , he was traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates with minor leaguer Mark Merchant and
Mike Walker to the Seattle Mariners for
Rey Quiñones
Rey Francisco Quiñones (born November 11, 1963) is a Puerto Rican baseball infielder who had a short career in Major League Baseball, primarily as a shortstop.
He played for the Boston Red Sox, the Seattle Mariners, and the Pittsburgh Pirates ...
and
Bill Wilkinson.
Injuries then hampered much of the rest of his career. He was dealt to
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) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
, and later pitched for the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...
and the Chicago White Sox. His last big league game was in 1992 for the White Sox.
Dunne's big league career covered five years and he finished with a 25–30 record and a 4.08 ERA. He pitched in 85 games, 76 of them as a starter, allowed 471 hits in 474 innings, fanned 205 and walked 225.
Dunne became a coach at
Bradley University
Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. The ...
in 2000
and has also coached youth baseball and basketball.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunne, Mike
1962 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Arkansas Travelers players
Baseball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Baseball players from South Bend, Indiana
Bradley Braves baseball coaches
Bradley Braves baseball players
Calgary Cannons players
Chicago White Sox players
Gulf Coast White Sox players
Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players
Louisville Redbirds players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Olympic silver medalists for the United States in baseball
Pittsburgh Pirates players
San Diego Padres players
Sarasota White Sox players
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players
Seattle Mariners players
Vancouver Canadians players