‘Hair-on-fire kind of deal’: Newly acquired Milwaukee Brewers infielder Oliver Dunn plays with intensity

PHOENIX − The book will continue to be written on offseason acquisition Oliver Dunn as the days progress in spring training.

But, judging by the 26-year-old's description of his style of play, it would be easy to envision him becoming a fan favorite at some point whenever he gets his shot with the Milwaukee Brewers.

"I really pride myself on playing really hard," Dunn said recently. "Hair-on-fire kind of deal is kind of what I shoot for. Always running hard 90s, hustling hard. I love playing the game, and I hope that comes out in my style.

"Just, with passion. Hustle and, I believe, play the game the right way."

Dunn, attempting to make his first major-league roster as a second baseman-third baseman, is off to a solid start with a double, triple and .286 average through three Cactus League games.

He's already caught the eye of manager Pat Murphy, who's identified the same traits the 5-foot-10, 198-pounder did in his self-evaluation.

"The kid, his dial is up pretty high right now," Murphy said. "Competing. I love his intensity, I love his focus, I love his preparation. I love his swing. I've liked everything about this kid, man. He rises to the occasion and he ain't afraid. He's prepared.

"He's got a shot, he does. He's got a shot."

Dunn was an 11th-round draft pick of the New York Yankees out of the University of Utah in 2019 but failed to distinguish himself in three years in the organization. He reached as high as the Class AAA level in 2022, when a brief audition didn't go well and ultimately Dunn was claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Phillies.

The 2023 season revealed a whole different side of Dunn, who thrived in his new surroundings and posted career highs in every category with a .271 average, 21 home runs and 78 runs batted in with an OPS of .906 over 119 games for Class AA Reading.

It was that performance that helped pave the way to another big opportunity for Dunn − a chance to play in the Arizona Fall League, generally regarded as a showcase for up-and-coming prospects with a shot at eventually reaching the majors.

Dunn excelled in that environment as well, hitting .343 with two homers, 11 RBI and an OPS of 1.071 in 19 games. It was a performance that earned him breakout player of the year and Fall League all-star honors.

"I'd had a good year and I had been hoping to go to the Fall League," Dunn said. "I had actually gotten all the way home not thinking I was going to get to play, and a few days after being home, (the Phillies) called me and told me, 'Hey, a spot just opened, do you want to go?' And, obviously, it was a yeah.

"... At the end of a long year I expected to be really tired but it was just a good group of guys and a fun style of baseball, and it was an enjoyable experience."

Despite Dunn's breakout, the 40-man roster math wasn't adding up from Philadelphia's point of view. Needing to either add him or risk losing him to the upcoming Rule 5 draft, Dunn was traded on Nov. 14 to the Brewers in exchange for 2022 second-round pick Robert Moore and Hendry Mendez.

Dunn never cracked the Phillies' top-30 prospects list during his time with Philadelphia, but his improving left-handed bat and ability to play both second and third base intrigued Milwaukee's brass.

"I thought maybe something would happen," Dunn said of the transaction. "And in the days leading up to it, I was less sure that something was going to happen.

"... I was actually on my honeymoon. It was two days after my wife had gotten married. It was early, like 5 o'clock Hawaii time. I was asleep and my phone buzzed and I picked it up and saw it was the Phillies and I was like, 'OK, I've got to wake up,' and they told me the news.

"It was a cool experience."

Dunn quickly did his due diligence on his new club. He'd played in the minors with Blake Perkins in 2022, and a December trip to a Driveline training seminar allowed him to meet a smallish group of Brewers coaches and players.

"I knew the Brewers were always really good and that was about the extent of my knowledge of the organization at the time," Dunn said. "I scrambled and looked and checked it out. Matt Arnold told me they were excited to have me and there's opportunities to be had.

"That's all you can ask for, so I was excited."

Dunn will continue receiving opportunities at second and third as the spring progresses and the Brewers start drilling down on what their depth chart looks like at both spots.

Brice Turang, Joey Ortiz, Andruw Monasterio, Owen Miller, Vinny Capra and Dunn are all 40-man roster members competing at second. Ortiz, Monasterio, Miller and Dunn, along with non-roster invitees Tyler Black (a highly rated prospect) and Christian Arroyo (a seven-year veteran), all are in the fray at the hot corner.

If Dunn continues to play with his hair on fire, and swinging the bat the way he has, he could have a shot.

But if he doesn't ultimately break camp with the Brewers, Dunn would be a phone call away at Class AAA Nashville − not a bad spot for someone who's swung the ball as well as the Salt Lake City native has of late.

"There's obviously nothing promised, but as a player all you can ask for is being told there's opportunities there," Dunn said. "I don't try to get caught up in whether I'm going to start, what's open. If you take care of your business, you can help your cause and however it falls, it falls.

"If I play hard and and do my thing at some point there should be a good chance. That's all you can hope for."