The Brewers have granted right-hander Jon Duplantier his release so that he can pursue an opportunity with the Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, reports Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
Duplantier, 30, inked a minor league deal with Milwaukee back in November and had been slated to compete for a job in spring training. It would seem that the opportunity overseas presented itself between the completion of that deal and today’s news, and the Brewers opted not to stand in the way of Duplantier’s guaranteed payday in NPB.
A former third-round pick and consensus top-100 prospect, Duplantier has only pitched in parts of two big league seasons: 2019 and 2021. Both came with the D-backs, who originally selected him in the 2016 draft. Duplantier held his own through 36 2/3 innings as a rookie in ’19 but was bombarded for 19 runs in only 13 innings in ’21. He’s posted a 6.70 ERA in 49 2/3 innings, striking out 19.7% of opponents against an 11.2% walk rate.
That was quite some time ago now. More recently, Duplantier dominated for the independent American Association’s Lake Country DockHounds in 2024, posting 18 scoreless frames with a 30-to-6 K/BB ratio. He parlayed that into Triple-A looks with the Dodgers and Mets, pitching to a combined 4.20 ERA with a 27.4% strikeout rate and grisly 16.1% walk rate in 65 2/3 innings of minor league work. In parts of four Triple-A seasons, Duplantier has a 4.85 ERA with similar strikeout and walk rates to the ones he notched in 2024.
Real nice guy when I met him when he was with Syracuse, I let him borrow my sharpie so he could sign for a group of kids. Not a lot of guys would do that. I wish him well in all he does.
mr – I’m sure he is a nice guy, but using a fan’s sharpie to sign for other fans is kind of common. Players don’t usually go to sign autographs equipped with their own sharpie.
Reminds me of one time in a gift shop in Toronto, a couple of Boston fans told the clerk they were looking to buy a sharpie. I had to translate for the fans because the clerk had no idea what a “shoppie” was. Haha!
It wasn’t just as simple as borrowing my sharpie, he stopped to sign for a group of kids, when he found out they didn’t have a sharpie he could have said sorry and left, but he stayed and wanted to sign for them and was very appreciative when I volunteered my sharpie for them. They weren’t just next to me in line and he kept using my sharpie as he went. He made a desicion to sign for these kids and make their ballpark visit a memorable one. A lot of guys wouldn’t, and don’t, do that.
He doesn’t carry his own sharpie because he’s probably signed like thirty autographs in his life and 20 of them were just birthday cards to his parents
mr – I’m not trying to throw shade on you for allowing him to borrow your sharpie!
All I’m saying is it’s customary for at least one player from each team to sign for kids prior to every game. And when they do, players never walk over with a sharpie in their hand. It’s customary after the player signs for the first person, he holds onto the sharpie (or pen) signing for the rest of the crowd. This is a longstanding tradition in MLB.
I just don’t want anyone to get the impression that most players are selfish jerks who don’t sign, that is simply not the case.
Fever pitch misses the point again.
Watch out…The Lake Country DockHounds are about to take over the American Association. They are a free agent destination, akin to the Dodgers. I heard Duplantier made $80k last year, deferred over 20 years.
Kinda bummed, i thought he was leaving to pursue his dreams in National Professional Bull Riding.
That man is built like a brick shithouse and he stuff often looks terrific. I always thought he would do well, but it never really materialized.
Wishing him well overseas.
Nippon filling their limit on Gringos this season.