Eric Anthony Duncan (born December 7, 1984) is an American former
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professiona ...
second baseman and quality control coach for the
Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The fra ...
of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...
(MLB). Considered an excellent high school baseball player, Duncan was chosen by the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...
in the first round of the
2003 MLB draft, and became one of the best prospects in baseball. However, injuries and ineffectiveness in
minor league baseball prevented Duncan from reaching MLB.
Amateur career
Duncan attended
Seton Hall Preparatory School
Seton Hall Preparatory School, generally called Seton Hall Prep or "The Prep", is a Roman Catholic all boys' high school located in the suburban community of West Orange in Essex County, New Jersey, operating under the supervision of the Arc ...
in
West Orange, New Jersey
West Orange is a suburban township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 48,843, an increase of 2,636 (+5.7%) from the 46,207 counted in the 2010 Census. . He
batted .535 with 10
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is ...
s and 52
runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...
(RBIs) in his senior year. He committed to attend
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
(LSU) to play
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...
for the
LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a ...
.
Professional career
The
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...
selected Duncan in the first round, with the 27th overall selection, of the
2003 Major League Baseball draft. Prior to the 2005 season, ''
Baseball America
''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form ...
'' named Duncan the Yankees' 2005 top prospect, and the 36th best prospect in baseball. Prior to the 2006 season, ''Baseball America'' ranked him the 86th best prospect in baseball.
Duncan was drafted as a third baseman, but was converted into a first baseman while in the Yankee organization, due to the long-term contract of Yankee
Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975), nicknamed "A-Rod", is an American former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman, businessman and philanthropist. Rodriguez played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the ...
. However, Duncan began to struggle when he reached
Triple-A.
After the 2009 season, the Yankees released Duncan. He spent the 2010 season in the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in B ...
organization, playing for the Double-A
Mississippi Braves
The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they are referred to locally, are a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson. The team is the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and plays in the Southern League. ...
. Duncan signed a minor league contract with an invitation to 2011 spring training with the
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...
. He was released on April 4. On April 19, Duncan was signed to a minor league contract by the St. Louis Cardinals and assigned to Double-A
Springfield. He signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals on November 16, 2011 and was assigned to the Double A
Northwest Arkansas Naturals
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The Naturals play at Arvest Ballpark, which ...
(Texas League). He suffered a torn quadriceps during spring training in 2012 and returned to the field on May 5. In July 2012, he announced his voluntary retirement.
Awards
*2003 - 1st Team High School All-American IF
*2004 - Midwest League All-Star 3B
*2006 - Arizona Fall League All-Star 3B
*2006 - Arizona Fall League MVP
Coaching career
Following his retirement, Duncan became a volunteer coach for the
Seton Hall Pirates of
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest dioces ...
. He is also a student at Seton Hall, majoring in
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...
.
In 2015, the
Staten Island Yankees
The Staten Island Yankees were a minor league baseball team located in the New York City borough of Staten Island from 1999 to 2020. Nicknamed the "Baby Bombers", the Yankees were the Class A Short Season affiliate of the New York Yankees and pl ...
named Duncan as their hitting coach, he returned to the same position in 2016. In 2017, Duncan was promoted to the
Tampa Yankees
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough Coun ...
as their hitting coach for the 2017 and 2018 season.
Ducan was hired by the
Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The fra ...
as their minor league hitting coordinator in January 2019. On April 19, 2019, hitting coach
Mike Pagliarulo
Michael Timothy Pagliarulo, a.k.a. "Pags" (born March 15, 1960), is an American former professional baseball third baseman and later the hitting coach of the Miami Marlins. He played in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees, San Dieg ...
was fired by the Marlins. The Marlins promoted assistant hitting coach
Jeff Livesey to hitting coach and promoted Duncan to fill the role of assistant hitting coach. Duncan was promoted to hitting coach prior to the 2020 season.
References
External links
:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Eric
1984 births
Living people
People from Florham Park, New Jersey
Sportspeople from Morris County, New Jersey
Baseball coaches from New Jersey
Baseball players from New Jersey
Major League Baseball hitting coaches
Miami Marlins coaches
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players
Columbus Clippers players
Trenton Thunder players
Tampa Yankees players
Battle Creek Yankees players
Staten Island Yankees players
Mississippi Braves players
Springfield Cardinals players
Seton Hall Preparatory School alumni
Northwest Arkansas Naturals players
Grand Canyon Rafters players
Peoria Saguaros players
Minor league baseball coaches