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'''Christopher Edwin Duncan''' (born [[May 5]], {{by|1981}} in {{city-state|Tucson|Arizona}}) is a free agent [[Major League Baseball]] [[outfielder]]/[[first baseman]]. He is the son of former [[Oakland Athletics]] [[catcher]] and current St. Louis [[pitching coach]] [[Dave Duncan (baseball)|Dave Duncan]]. His older brother [[Shelley Duncan|Shelley]] is a first baseman in the [[New York Yankees]] organization.
'''Christopher Edwin Duncan''' (born [[May 5]], {{by|1981}} in {{city-state|Tucson|Arizona}}) is a free agent [[Major League Baseball]] [[outfielder]]/[[first baseman]]. He is the son of former [[Oakland Athletics]] [[catcher]] and current St. Louis [[pitching coach]] [[Dave Duncan (baseball)|Dave Duncan]]. His older brother [[Shelley Duncan|Shelley]] is a corner outfielder/ first baseman in the [[New York Yankees]] organization.


==Early life==
==Early life==

Revision as of 05:55, 12 October 2009

Chris Duncan
Free Agent – No. --
Left field / First Base
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
debut
September 10, 2005, for the St. Louis Cardinals
Career statistics
(through August 27, 2009)
Batting Average.257
Hits295
Home Runs55
Runs Batted In175
OBP.348
Slugging Percentage.458
Teams

Christopher Edwin Duncan (born May 5, 1981 in Template:City-state) is a free agent Major League Baseball outfielder/first baseman. He is the son of former Oakland Athletics catcher and current St. Louis pitching coach Dave Duncan. His older brother Shelley is a corner outfielder/ first baseman in the New York Yankees organization.

Early life

Duncan is a graduate of Canyon del Oro High School in the Tucson suburb of Template:City-state. While there he was a teammate of Texas Rangers All Star second baseman Ian Kinsler.[1] He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round (46th overall) in the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft as a supplemental Pick for loss of Free Agent Delino DeShields to the Baltimore Orioles.

Minor League career

Duncan made his professional debut with the Johnson City Cardinals of the Appalachian League shortly after his signing. For the season, he batted only .214 with six home runs. After seven seasons in the Cardinals' farm system, Duncan made his debut with the big club on September 10, 2005. On October 2, 2005, he became the last player to hit a home run at Busch Memorial Stadium during the regular season.

Cards' ROY

After spending most of the first half of the 2006 season working his way into the regular roster, Duncan hit very well and ended the season with impressive power numbers. In 2006, he was third in all of baseball behind David Ortiz and Ryan Howard in homers per at bat for players with at least 75 at bats. For the season, Duncan hit 22 home runs in only 280 at bats.

In the 2006 World Series, Duncan appeared in three of the five games, going 1 for 8 with one [[run batted in. He committed an error in the fourth inning of Game 5 which was promptly followed by a two-run homer by Sean Casey, and misplayed a fly ball by Casey, which was ruled a double, in the sixth inning. However, Duncan and the Cardinals won the game and the Series, defeating the Detroit Tigers four games to one. Following the 2006 season, Duncan was named the team's Rookie of the Year. [2]

2007

Duncan became a regular starter in 2007, playing 127 of the team's 162 games that season. He batted .259/.354/.480, hitting 21 home runs (2nd on team) and 70 RBI (2nd on team), and third in doubles (20). He started 90 games in the outfield, committing two errors, which was an improvement from 2006, when he committed 6 errors while playing in both right and left field. He also finished second in total bases (180). He lead the team in strikeouts with 123.

On September 20, 2007, Duncan underwent surgery for a sports hernia. It was successful and he returned to the clubhouse on September 22. His brother, Shelley, also suffered a sports hernia; the brothers are very competitive and had been trying to outdo one another in their workouts.[citation needed]

Mark McGwire has served as his hitting coach since 2007.[3]

Season ending injury

In 2008, after hitting .252 in 127 at bats, Duncan was sent down to the triple-A Memphis Redbirds. Joe Mather took his spot on the Major League roster. Duncan was recalled in June to fill the hole at first base, which was left open after Albert Pujols went on the disabled list for a period of 15 days. He would spend most of his time in the outfield after Pujols returned to the lineup.

On July 22, Chris was placed on the disabled list after experiencing severe discomfort in his arm, hand, and neck. The club called the injury a "pinched nerve". On August 2, it was reported that Duncan would miss the rest of the 2008 season after having surgery to address a herniated cervical disk in his neck. He ended the season with a .248 batting average, 6 home runs, and 27 RBI over 222 at bats.

Trade to BoSox

Duncan successfully recovered from the surgery that ended his 2008 season, however, hit only .227, with five homers and 32 RBIs in 260 at bats with the Cardinals, and began drawing the ire of Cardinals fans. On July 22, Duncan was optioned to the Cardinals' triple-A affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds. A day later, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox along with a player-to-be-named-later or cash for shortstop Julio Lugo (who had also fallen out of favor with his organization and its fans) and cash considerations.[4]

The BoSox assigned Duncan to their triple-A affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox.[5] After batting only .188 with two home runs and ten RBIs at Pawtucket, Boston released Duncan on August 21, 2009.

See also

List of second generation MLB players

References

  1. ^ Grant, Evan (3/4/06). "Rangers' Kinsler eyeing second base". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 8/7/09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ The Official Site of The St. Louis Cardinals: Team: Player Information : Biography and Career Highlights
  3. ^ McGwire Talks About Teaching Hitting ESPN.com, March 13, 2009
  4. ^ "Duncan on way to Boston for Lugo". stltoday.com. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
  5. ^ "Sox find taker for Lugo, acquire Duncan". mlb.com. Retrieved 2009-07-26.