Gene Frenette: After spectacular MLB debut, Jumbo Shrimp's Joe Dunand wants more of those moments

For his entire professional baseball life, Joe Dunand has prided himself on being ready to deliver in any given situation. He just never dreamed his first big-league moment would unfold like something out of a movie script.

After his taxi-squad promotion two weeks ago to the Miami Marlins, which meant he was a COVID-19 insurance policy, there was only a limited chance the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp infielder would get on the field.

But three days after the Marlins put him and three other players on standby, Dunand arrived at Petco Park in San Diego on May 7 and was informed by manager Don Mattingly he’d be the starting third baseman.

A confluence of circumstances put him in the lineup. Marlins third baseman Brian Anderson was in COVID protocol, along with another third base option, Jon Berti. Since the Padres were starting left-hander Sean Manaea, the right-handed hitting Dunand (pronounced Doo-Nand) got penciled in at third base over Joey Wendle.

Gene's previous three columns:

Early starts: Jaguars should focus on winning, not fret over lack of primetime TV exposure

Lambo's leap: Lawsuit by kicker Josh Lambo against Jaguars a bizarre end to stellar career

Win seven games?: The Jaguars can do it; here's who they can defeat

Only 35 minutes into the game, the 26-year-old nephew of Alex Rodriguez was making history. Manaea threw a 1-1 change-up high and away, and Dunand deposited the ball into the front row of seats just over the left field fence.

He became only the third Marlin to hit a home run in his first MLB at-bat, a feat last accomplished by Jeremy Hermidia on Aug. 31, 2005. Only 130 players in big-league history have done it, and Dunand pulled it off against a pitcher with 133 career starts and who led MLB last year with two complete-game shutouts for the Oakland A’s.

For a kid who spent summers going on road trips with his father, Joe Sr. (A-Rod's older half-brother), and hanging out with one of the game’s most polarizing figures — Dunand also watched the New York Yankees’ 2010 World Series celebration from inside a champagne-showered clubhouse — this was a different kind of euphoria.

After 500-plus games in the minors, including 269 over parts of four seasons with the Jumbo Shrimp, Dunand finally got a big-league shot. And on his first swing, he delivers a Roy Hobbs moment.

“It was amazing, just that whole day was your dreams coming true,” Dunand said Wednesday before the Jumbo Shrimp game at 121 Financial Ballpark against the Durham Bulls. “It goes back to all the hard work I’ve put in the last five years and all the people that helped me get there. I can’t thank them enough.

“I felt the love from all across the country. It wasn’t absent. It was there.”

Dad, family went bonkers

Dunand’s home run, followed by a line-drive double down the left field line, ignited the Marlins to an 8-0 victory that snapped a six-game losing streak. Miami players enhanced the rookie’s big occasion with a 10-minute postgame celebration in the clubhouse.

Within a couple hours, Dunand would receive over 200 text messages, as well as this social media tweet by his famous uncle (“WOW! First MLB at-bat HOME RUN. Let’s go Joe!!!”) and a video of A-Rod reveling in his nephew’s accomplishment.

The next day, Dunand would FaceTime with baseball’s fourth-leading home run hitter about his MLB debut experience. But when he thinks about all the special moments emanating from that home run, including his trot around the bases, nothing warms Dunand’s heart more than his father — watching the game from his home in Miami — getting exposed for trying to pretend he was Joe Cool about the whole thing.

“It’s funny, my sister’s boyfriend asked my Dad about how he reacted and he said, ‘No, I was cool, was chillin’ and super happy about it,’ “ Dunand said. “But my Dad’s friend was there in the house with him and he sent a video. Dad jumped out of his chair, yelling at the top of his lungs, pointing, going crazy like it was Game 7 of the World Series. He thought he was going to be slick and get away with it, but he went crazy and got caught red-handed.

“That was a really cool video to see. The home run, everything about it was great. But to me, the best part of my night was coming home [to the hotel] and seeing all the reaction videos from my family, just all the love I got from people who were there along the way for me.”

The Jumbo Shrimp were playing on the road against the Memphis Redbirds and didn’t know about Dunand’s heroics until after their 6-4 victory, but the clubhouse got word in pregame that he was in the Marlins’ lineup.

Whether Shrimp catcher Nick Fortes was serious or joking, manager Daren Brown said he was overheard saying about Dunand before the Marlins game: “He’ll probably hit a home run in his first at-bat.”

Lo and behold, it happened. Dunand’s feat evoked much joy in the Shrimp clubhouse because he’s highly regarded for his professionalism and team-first attitude.

Brown, who watched video of the home run on his iPad with Jumbo Shrimp hitting coach Phil Plantier, still marvels at Dunand’s unique feat, saying: “The just-in-case happens [getting in his first MLB game] and it’s a home run in his first at-bat. Pretty cool for him.”

One long celebration

It turned into one feel-good moment after another. A kid caught Dunand’s home-run ball and all he wanted in exchange was the chance to meet Marlins second baseman Jazz Chisolm Jr. That postgame meeting was arranged and the Marlins had the ball authenticated for Dunand.

“I appreciated Jazz agreeing to meet the kid,” said Dunand. “I would want to meet Jazz, too, because he’s very outgoing.”

The next day, after the Marlins flew to Arizona to begin a series against the Diamondbacks, that special ball became the prized possession of Joe Dunand Sr.

He jumped on a plane to Phoenix and met Joe Jr. at a Mexican restaurant in Scottsdale, where his youngest of three sons gave him both the home run ball and the one he hit for a double.

“My Dad was so happy, it’s a moment you never forget,” said Dunand. “I think he knew I was going to bring him the ball. Just seeing him smile and that video of him going crazy [after the home run], that was my favorite part.”

Father and son have long shared a special connection for reasons other than baseball. While they bonded over the sport and uncle Alex being a big part of their lives, the elder Dunand has been Joe’s only parent for 24 years. Joe’s mother, Miosocis, passed away at 34 due to heart failure when he was only 2 years old.

So when Dunand — who once set a national record by hitting eight consecutive home runs in high school at Miami Gulliver Prep, gave that home run ball to his father who introduced him to the game, the significance of that moment went way beyond baseball.

The ripple effect of that home run extended through the whole Marlins organization, which has groomed him since Dunand was a second-round draft pick out of North Carolina State in 2017.

“Really a special moment for Joe and his family that they’ll remember for the rest of their lives,” said Jeff DeGroot, the Marlins’ Director of Player Development and an employee since 2018. “Regardless of the circumstances, he’ll forever have a home run as a major-league ballplayer. He never complains, shows up ready to work every day. It’s fun to watch guys like that get rewarded.

“To watch him take advantage of that moment is something cool for all of us. Coaches, trainers, scouts, everybody.”

Adjusting to new role

The day after Dunand gave his father that home run ball, the Marlins optioned him back to Jacksonville, where he’s hitting .254 with one home run and eight RBI.

Like his uncle after he went to the New York Yankees, the Marlins have moved him from shortstop to primarily third base, though he also gets work at first base and DH.

But the bigger adjustment for Dunand is no longer being an everyday presence in the lineup. With Charles LeBlanc getting off to a hot start and playing third base, along with former Minnesota Twins infielder Willians Astudillo also cutting into his playing time, Dunand has played in just 18 of 38 Jumbo Shrimp games.

For the first time in his baseball career, Dunand is adapting to a time-share role, which means there’s no guarantee of an imminent return to the big leagues, if he even gets back there at all.

“Obviously, I don’t want my time there to be just one day [playing MLB],” said Dunand. “The experience just reassured me I can play in the big leagues at a high level. The fire has always been there. You got to work hard to reach your dream. Nothing’s easy, nothing’s given.

“I don’t let [not playing as much] affect me in any way. If I’m not in the lineup, then I do everything I can to get better that day. I’m a positive person. I don’t dwell on anything I can’t control.”

This is only Dunand’s second season in Triple-A, where he struggled last year with a .201 batting average and striking out 70 times in 204 at-bats. His offense and plate discipline have improved this year, but his future with the Marlins remains a mystery, despite his eye-opening MLB debut.

“Joe made an impression on our major league staff by helping the team win a game,” DeGroot said. “As long as you have a uniform on and get an opportunity, you never know what can happen.”

Dunand has never wavered from his lifetime goal of being a significant player on a World Series championship team. He wants to experience what it’s like to be consistently playing in the big leagues.

As special as it was to hit a home run in his first MLB at-bat, that will never be enough.

Gfrenette@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4540 

Gene Frenette Sports columnist at Florida Times-Union, follow him on Twitter @genefrenette

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jumbo Shrimp's Joe Dunand anxious for MLB return and more big moments