Adam Dunn will be in left field tonight when the Reds open a three-game series at Florida. The plan is to leave him there for 10 or 12 years.

        “We're beginning our future now,” General Manager Jim Bowden said Thursday after announcing the young slugger's callup from Triple-A Louisville and the trade that sent outfielder Alex Ochoa to the Colorado Rockies.

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        Dunn, perhaps the Reds' most exciting prospect since Eric Davis, combined to hit .334 with 32 home runs and 84 RBI in 94 games at Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville. Baseball America and ESPN's Peter Gammons rated him the top prospect in the minor leagues.

        “He should have been here a month ago,” Bowden said. “But we had to make a trade to open up a position for him.”

        Dunn, who bats left-handed and throws right-handed, will play every day, but Reds manager Bob Boone won't bat him fourth or fifth initially.

        “I think the expectations are high,” manager Bob Boone said. “I think this puts an exclamation on the fact that we're developing. If he comes up smoking, great. If he doesn't, that's what I expect. He's been pounding on the door. This could be a break for a team that's been struggling.”

        Dunn, 6-foot-6, 240-pounds, is known for his long, towering homers. One of his two homers at the Triple-A All-Star game went clear out of the ballpark, and he hit one off the stadium restaurant at the Futures Game in Seattle's Safeco Field. In his final game with the RiverBats on Wednesday night, he hit a 421-foot homer.

        He left a big impression on Reds players at spring training the past two years.

        “I've seen him in batting practice, and it was unbelievable,” pitcher Jim Brower said. “Both teams would stop to watch. I've heard stories about him. I've talked to friends on other minor league teams, and they say he's the real deal.

        “If he relaxes and doesn't put too much pressure on himself, there's no reason he can't come up and do the same things he's done down there.”

        “Everyone's excited about seeing him play,” first baseman Sean Casey said. “He's a great guy, and he can hit. I saw him a couple of times in spring training. I've only seen him hit home runs.”

        “I just hope that it's an easy transition for him,” shortstop Barry Larkin said. “He's been so successful where he is, and I guess he had nothing more to prove there. I just hope he fits in as well here.”

        "We all knew he wasn't going to be around much longer," said Louisville third baseman Brandon Larson, Dunn's roommate on the road. "He had nothing left to prove here."

        Dunn was a second-round draft pick in 1998. He chose baseball over playing quarterback at the University of Texas.

        His fielding is not as advanced as his hitting. That's why Dmitri Young will move to right field to make room for Dunn in left.

        The Associated Press and the (Louisville) Courier-Journal contributed to this report.

Recent Dunn story: Dunn in no hurry

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