Jacob Lake Arizona

Undrafted pitcher defying doubters

"It's been good," he said. "But I don't feel like I've thrown my best yet."

The fact that he's throwing at all on a minor league roster and traveling the Southeast as a pro player is an accomplishment for the 20-year-old right-hander.

More than 1,500 college and high school prospects were selected in the 2009 first-year player draft. Dunnington, a high school senior, wasn't one of them. His fastball, which hovered in the high 80s and occasionally jumped above 90 mph, was enough to draw attention from teams, but at less than 150 pounds, his size didn't help his case.

"I was at a small school and didn't get much attention," he said. "It wasn't until that summer that I started throwing hard."

The list of options for undrafted high school seniors are slim: either play college ball or give up on the sport. Dunnington did neither.

The San Francisco Giants, who hadn't spoken to Dunnington before the draft, took a chance on the young prospect.

After seeing him throw after the draft, the Giants signed him as a nondrafted free agent out of high school, a contract almost unheard of among U.S.-born players.

"He probably weighed in at 130 pounds in instructional league," GreenJackets pitching coach Steve Kline said. "But sometimes guys slip through the cracks."

Dunnington beat the odds and the skeptics. He was forced to make a name for himself on the mound early in his professional career because the name he had wasn't enough to set him apart.

Dunnington was joined in camp by Jacob Dunning, a 33rd-round selection in 2009, and the similar names confused coaches and teammates.

"We used to walk side-by-side just to confuse people," Dunnington said.

Both Jacobs have succeeded in the minors, but Dunnington got off to the hotter start. He allowed two runs in 17 appearances last year in rookie ball for a 0.63 ERA and led all Arizona Rookie League relievers in strikeouts per nine innings (14.13) and lowest batting average allowed (.109).

In Augusta, he's added 30 pounds to his frame and a few more pitches to his arsenal. He'll enter tonight's series opener at Lake Olmstead Stadium as one of the most reliable arms out of the bullpen. The GreenJackets (14-23) need more of what Dunnington has offered. Augusta is ranked second-to-last in the league and is still looking for its first series win.

Dunnington entered the week ranked second among Augusta relievers with a 2.82 ERA in 14 appearances. He uses an aggressive style, challenging hitters directly, and it has been effective.

Review: Jacob Lake Inn, Arizona

Jacob Lake, AZ 86022

It was my second time at the Jacob Lake Inn – the first time was 10 years ago with my best friend on our cross-country adventure. It seemed like such a coincidence at the time, but I guess it wasn’t after all, since there is literally nothing else for miles around.

The Jacob Lake Inn pretty much IS the town of Jacob Lake. It’s the hotel, the local store, the bakery, the post office, the restaurant, the gas station and art gallery. So if you’re hungry…this is the place.

David ordered the popular Bull & Onion burger. I ordered the cranberry cream cheese chicken sandwich without the bread. We had hot tea before our meals – which wasn’t so hot – so we had to send them back to be reheated. The service was pretty slow. Some patrons who came in after us waited probably 15 minutes to receive their menus. It seemed as if they were short-staffed, or perhaps since it was off-season they weren’t prepared for the 3 parties which came in at nearly the same time just after 12 noon on this day.

By the way, in the ten years it had been since I’d last visited, absolutely nothing there had changed. I know this because we had time to walk the entire store area before our meals were delivered to the counter.

Both meals came with French fries which were very good. David said his hamburger was “okay.” My chicken was good, but I was a little surprised that the “cranberry cream cheese” portion of it came in little plastic cups – one for the homemade cranberry relish, another prepackaged courtesy of Philadelphia cream cheese. Despite that, it was a very tasty combination, and I had no complaints.

The bill, with tip, came to just over $25. I was surprised to discover that our not-so-hot teas (for which we never received refills) were $2.25 each. I thought that was a little pricey for an 8 ounce cup of water.

In any case, if you’re by the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, I definitely recommend you at least stop in to the Jacob Lake Inn. There aren’t too many other places like it.

Camping Arizona, 2nd

Arizona

Uncle Sam's cabins, a visitor's guide to historic U.S. Forest Service ranger stations of the West

Southwest

Fodor's 2007 Arizona & the Grand Canyon