Chad Jennings of The Journal News reports that the Cleveland Indians have signed longtime Yankee farmhand Shelley Duncan.
Duncan has hit just .219/.290/.411 in 163 major league plate appearances over three seasons, but had another strong season in Triple-A this past year, posting a batting line of .277/.370/.546 for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Duncan is 30, and could challenge for playing time in left field with the Indians. Keep in mind that if he shows anything with the bat, he's the type of player managers like to keep around, and would likely get the benefit of the doubt. His Triple-A numbers also indicate he could flourish with some regular major league at-bats. Good pickup for Cleveland.
Fur
Have things gotten that bad in Cleveland?
progmatinee
this guy hits almost as good as Sandy Duncan.
Ferrariman
LOL more has happened in last hour than past four days
anyways, solid signing if it’s less than 2 million
stl_cards16
They might as well go ahead and pick up Chris as well….then next year they will be the frontrunners for Dave if he decides to go to another team!
HansonAce
A filler with upside ..no risk for the sorry Indians…The Indians have no where to go but up with the team being dismantle from last year….Duncan could be a solid DH/4th OF/PH if he can hit
Pharxity
Very unlikely that he will be a solid DH. Also, his defense in the OF is lacking, to be kind. The guy tries hard, and has power, but is a remedial hitter vs. a pitcher with a decent breaking ball…
dugoutdog
They should go all out and put in a low bid on Chad Tracy while their at it.
Anything to keep ahead of the Royals (although the Tribe does have some intriguing prospects accumulated now)…
Bravoboy10
It would be so cool if they picked of chris also and platooned the brothers. Worst case sonario is they become the front runners for Dave next year as mentioned by HansonAce. Unless I overlooked something both guys would be arbitration eligiable next season and still under there control.
Jonathunder
I really hope this works out, but we already have so many prospects in the outfield, do we really need another aging bat out there? Hopefully works out
thedocjon
I hope he does great in Clevelend with some regular at bats and a full season! good signing!
formerdraftpick 2
My dream is in schambles. I was hoping the Pirates would sign Duncan so we would have a lineup with Duncan Doumit in it. You can’t buy that in a grocery store!
joelano
Now they can trade Graddy Sizemore!
websoulsurfer
Isn’t he the big dummy that spiked Akinora Iwamura?
websoulsurfer
Isn’t he the big dummy that spiked Akinora Iwamura?
Slugger23
Yes it is.
Slugger23
Yes it is.
Chris
I guess he could play first base if they leave LaPorta in LF and Travis Hafner to DH. He’ll be a crappier Ryan Garko.
Septhinox
As a Yankee fan, I’ve always like Duncan. I’m happy to see him get an opportunity to play everyday. Hope all goes well for him. 🙂
venn177
He’s a power-hitting AAAA player. Rare, but still not all that useful.
Lewie Pollis
Does this signing really make sense for the Indians?
bleacherreport.com/articles/320197-what-the-shelle…
Lewie Pollis
Does this signing really make sense for the Indians?
bleacherreport.com/articles/320197-what-the-shelle…
Alldaybaseball
To me, this is a good signing for almost any team besides the Indians. They have Crowe, Brantley, and Laporta a ready when they get the nod. Good luck to him anyway.
larrykansas
If he gets regular playing time, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get 20 or more homers and at least 75 RBI’s. Him and his brother Chris come from great baseball stock.