AFJF Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 From the Daily News No Slam Dunc that Eric will get his pinstripes Yankees Minor League Report BY SAM BORDEN DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Eric Duncan used to get mentioned in the same sentence with Melky Cabrera (and Robinson Cano, for that matter), but not anymore. With a gaping hole in center field, the Yankees have called up Cabrera to try and show he's ready to handle the position despite being only 20 years old, while Duncan remains in the minors, essentially playing to get traded. There is no guarantee he'll be dealt, of course, but the Yankees aren't as opposed to it as they were in the past. Duncan is no longer untouchable, though the Bombers won't give him up for just anything and could, at some point, have him switch from third base to first base. After all, playing third base in the Yanks' minor league system isn't exactly a job that's got a lot of advancement potential, with Alex Rodriguez signed for another five years. So Duncan plays on. At 20 years old, he (and Cabrera) were among the youngest players in the Eastern League, but Duncan hasn't done badly. He started slowly, but has caught up to the pitchers recently, hitting .243 with 13 home runs and 46 RBI in his first 90 games. "He's progressed each month of the season," said Mark Newman, the Yanks' senior vice president of baseball operations. "He's adjusting well to the level of competition." The most noticeable stat, however, is errors. Duncan has good skills and is capable of making the unbelievable play in the field, but has struggled to be consistent. He's made 21 errors so far this year, by far the highest on the team. "The weird thing is that he's been really good defensively at home and had problems on the road," Newman said. "It's hard to say why. There's been talk that maybe he doesn't do as well on fields that aren't as well-kept, but it's really a strange set of circumstances." Short hops Trenton's Shelly Duncan won the home run derby before the Double-A All-Star game in Portland, Me., on Wednesday. ... First-round draft pick C.J. Henry is hitting .281 with two homers through his first 16 games with the Gulf Coast League Yankees. ... Sean Henn, who was shelled in three spot starts for the Yankees, has settled in with Columbus and is 5-3 with a 2.93 ERA in 11 starts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barton Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 Can we just move this butcher over to 1st base already!?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasonJet Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 Can we just move this butcher over to 1st base already!?!?! If the Yankees don't move him to 1st base, they might as well trade him. Either for a CF or a pitcher. It doesn't bother me so much that he can't play 3B because the Yanks are pretty well set there. I was listening to the FAN recently and Jody Mac said something about Marlon Byrd as an option, I guess that would be OK, but obviously wouldn't give up Duncan for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetfanmack Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 If the Yankees don't move him to 1st base, they might as well trade him. Either for a CF or a pitcher. It doesn't bother me so much that he can't play 3B because the Yanks are pretty well set there. I was listening to the FAN recently and Jody Mac said something about Marlon Byrd as an option, I guess that would be OK, but obviously wouldn't give up Duncan for him. Unless they plan on moving Jeter to CF or 2B or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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