If you forgot, we actually scored something in return for that Julio Lugo guy last month. His name is Chris Duncan and he came to the organization with a pair of 20-plus homer seasons in the majors and a tremendous amount of potential.
Duncan's 2009 numbers were pretty bland prior to the trade. In fact, they were so weak that he was optioned down to Triple-A Memphis just hours before the trade from the Cardinals occurred. The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder was hitting just .227 with five dingers and 32 RBIs in 87 games played. Granted, the son of Cards pitching coach Dave Duncan was coming off a 2008 season that was cut short due to surgery but there's plenty of potential in his 28-year-old frame: He popped 43 home runs and drove in 113 RBIs in 217 games from 2006-2007. During that span, as a 25-year-old rookie in '06, he posted a whopping .589 slugging percentage and a .952 OPS in just 90 games.
Today, fans in Pawtucket are having trouble recognizing this behemoth of a man who was slugging his way onto fantasy rosters.
Since donning the PawSox uni 13 games ago, Duncan has notched just six hits, one of which was a home run — his lone extra-base hit thus far. The left fielder is hitting .140 with four RBIs and has struck out 12 times in 43 at bats.
"Those kinds of players can put a lot of stress on themselves," Manager Ron Johnson told projo.com of Duncan and Brian Anderson — Pawtucket's other recent acquisition. "Because they're coming over here, they're at the Triple-A level and you know what's going through their mind. I just try to get through to them that, 'Hey, you don't have to come over here and show the Red Sox in a week that you're the best thing since sliced bread because that doesn't work. Get your at-bats and get yourself going a little bit, and things will work themselves out."
