David Shelley Duncan (born September 29, 1979) 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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

player. He was a

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

, and

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

. Duncan played in

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) for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

, and

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

. He was the Major League field coordinator for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

. He was also the analytics coordinator for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

Personal life

Duncan is the oldest son of Dave Duncan, an MLB

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

and

pitching coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...

. His younger brother,

Chris Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), N ...

, was also an MLB first baseman and outfielder. As of 2018 Shelley married Kirsten Duncan. They both live in Arizona.

Baseball career

High school

Shelley graduated from Canyon del Oro High School, located in the Tucson suburb of

Oro Valley Oro Valley, incorporated in 1974, is a suburban town located north of Tucson, Arizona, United States, in Pima County. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town is 47,070, an increase from 29,700 in 2000. Dubbed the "Upscale Te ...

, in 1998. While there he was a teammate of former All Star second baseman

Ian Kinsler Ian Michael Kinsler ( he, איאן קינסלר; born June 22, 1982) is an American-Israeli former professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for ...

. He played on the school's 1997 baseball team that went on to capture the 5A State Championship title.

College career

In 1999 he was a Freshman First Team All-American outfielder while attending the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

. In 2001, he was named First Team College All-American outfielder and

Pacific-10 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...

All-Star. He was selected by the Yankees in the second round of the

2001 Major League Baseball draft The 2001 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 5 and 6. First round selections Supplemental First Round Selections Compensation Picks Background On June 1, 2001, Rolando Viera, a Cuban ba ...

, 62nd overall. ShelleyDuncan1

Professional career

New York Yankees

Duncan's slugging percentage was .410 with 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 pla ...

in 2001. He played outfield for the

Greensboro Bats Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

in 2002, where he had a .375 on-base percentage and 10 assists from the outfield in 69 games. Playing with the

Tampa Yankees Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, 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 ...

of the

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

in 2004, Duncan hit 19 home runs in 424 at bats. With the

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the Doub ...

in 2005, he hit a league-leading 34 home runs and had 92 RBIs. He was named an Eastern League (AA) mid-season and post-season All-Star first baseman. He was also the winner of the 2005 Eastern League All-Star Game Home Run Derby. In 2006, he hit 19 home runs for Trenton in 351 at bats, and was twice the league's player of the week. In 2007, Duncan was a member of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

All-Star Team, and was the Topps IL Player of the Month in May while playing for the Triple-A

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...

. While with the Yankees AAA team, Duncan had 25 home runs, second in the International League at the time he was called up, and hit .295 with a .577 slugging percentage in 336 at bats. Duncan made his major league debut on July 20, 2007, as the

against the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home venu ...

, and recorded his first career hit and RBI. The next day, he hit his first major league home run against the Devil Rays, and the following day had his first multi-home run game, going deep twice in front of the

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the origi ...

crowd. Duncan later hit his fourth Major League home run at Yankee Stadium on July 31, 2007 against the

. He spent time in 2008 with both the major league Yankees, and the

, before suffering a shoulder separation. Duncan remained in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Triple-A) for the remainder of the season. He was designated for assignment that offseason, but cleared waivers and remained in the Yankees organization. On July 31, 2009, Duncan was recalled from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre temporarily as an extra bat. He was optioned the following day and recalled again on September 7. In each of his three starts he went 1 for 3 and recorded 1 RBI. Duncan was named the International League Most Valuable Player for 2009 leading the league in home runs and RBIs. Following the 2009 season, Duncan was outrighted to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but refused the assignment and elected to become a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

Cleveland Indians

On January 4, 2010, Duncan signed a contract with the

. He began the season with the Triple-A

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, mercha ...

. The Indians designated Duncan for assignment on August 29, 2012. In 81 games with the club during the 2012 season, he hit .203 with 11 home runs and 31 RBIs.

Tampa Bay Rays

On January 22, 2013, Duncan signed a minor league deal with the

. He was designated for assignment on April 30, 2013. He declared free agency on October 11.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On January 24, 2014, Duncan signed a minor league deal with the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

Cincinnati Reds

Duncan signed a minor league deal with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

in May 2014. Duncan was released by the Reds on June 18, 2014.

Enthusiasm

Duncan is joked about by announcers for his enthusiastic high fives, brother bashes, and chest bumps in the dugout with his teammates. Former Yankee manager

Joe Torre Joseph Paul Torre (; born July 18, 1940) is an American professional baseball executive, serving as a special assistant to the Commissioner of Baseball since 2020. He previously served in the capacity of Major League Baseball's (MLB) chief baseb ...

said in an interview with the

YES Network The Yankee Entertainment and Sports Network (YES) is an American pay television regional sports network owned by Yankee Global Enterprises (the largest shareholder with 26%), Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios (which owns 20%), A ...

that he tried to avoid Duncan whenever Duncan would celebrate. Following his first home run, he was interviewed by YES Network's Kim Jones, who asked him for a high five, which he enthusiastically gave her.

Coaching career

On January 7, 2015, Duncan was announced as the new manager for the

Short Season-A Affiliate,

Hillsboro Hops The Hillsboro Hops are a Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Northwest, northwest United States, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, a city in the Portland metropolitan area. The Hops are members of the Northwest League as an affiliate of the Ariz ...

of the

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Pacific Northwest, Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Maj ...

. On February 6, 2017, Duncan was named the manager of the

Class-A Advanced affiliate,

Visalia Rawhide The Visalia Rawhide are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Visalia, California, and have played their home games at Valley Strong Ballpark since their ...

. Duncan was the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks AA-Affiliate, the

Jackson Generals The Jackson Generals were a professional baseball team located in Jackson, Tennessee. From 1998 to 2020, they were a part of Minor League Baseball's Southern League (1964–2020), Southern League (SL) as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliat ...

, for the 2018 season. They won the 2018 Southern League Championship. On November 26, 2018, Duncan was hired by the

to be their Major League field coordinator. On, December 1, 2020, Duncan was hired by the

to be their analytics coordinator.

Controversies

Duncan was involved in some minor controversy on September 14, 2007, when, before the game between the Yankees and Red Sox at Fenway Park, Duncan wrote "Red Sox Suck!" along with his autograph on a 10-year-old Red Sox fan's notebook. During a spring training game on March 12, 2008 against the

, after safely reaching first due to an error, Duncan continued on to second base, spiking second baseman

Akinori Iwamura is a former Japanese baseball infielder, who currently is a manager for the Fukushima Red Hopes in Japan's Baseball Challenge League. He made his Major League debut with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2007. He earned the nickname Aki while in M ...

who had caught the ball well before Duncan arrived. Iwamura sustained a cut above his right knee but was otherwise fine, and Duncan was tagged out regardless. This followed the Rays’ Elliot Johnson's aggressive hit on Yankee catcher

Francisco Cervelli Francisco Cervelli (born March 6, 1986) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball catcher and former catching coach for the San Diego Padres. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Brav ...

, which resulted in a broken wrist for the catcher. A

bench-clearing brawl A bench-clearing brawl is a form of fighting that occurs in sports, most notably baseball and ice hockey, in which most or all players on both teams leave their dugouts, bullpens, or benches, and charge onto the playing area in order to fight on ...

ensued, after which Duncan and Rays right fielder

Jonny Gomes Jonathan Johnson Gomes (; born November 22, 1980) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and coach. He is the minor league outfield and baserunning coordinator for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He playe ...

were ejected, as were two of the Yankees' coaches,

Bobby Meacham Robert Andrew Meacham (born August 25, 1960) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, who spent his entire six-year big league playing career with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). Since retiring from active play ...

and Kevin Long. On March 14, Duncan, teammate

Melky Cabrera Melky Cabrera Astacio (born August 11, 1984), nicknamed The Melkman, is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue ...

and Gomes were suspended for their actions on the field. Each of these three players' suspensions was reduced one day in length after they decided to drop their appeal of the suspensions.

References

External links

Minor League Baseball profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Shelley 1979 births Living people American expatriate baseball people in Canada Baseball coaches from Arizona Baseball players from Tucson, Arizona Chicago White Sox coaches Cleveland Indians players Columbus Clippers players Durham Bulls players Greensboro Bats players Gulf Coast Yankees players Hillsboro Hops International League MVP award winners Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball left fielders Minor league baseball managers New York Yankees players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players Staten Island Yankees players Tampa Bay Rays players Tampa Yankees players Toronto Blue Jays coaches Trenton Thunder players Arizona Wildcats baseball players