One of the hottest-button issues surrounding the Cardinals for the last few seasons has been Chris Duncan. Should the Cardinals keep him and play him in left field again or should they try to move him?

Q: Commish, on the Duncan front, shouldn’t the Cards keep him? If healthy, he is the most appealing backup for Albert is case of injury. And he could become a very scary pinch hitter. My question, how long is he under team control and where is he regarding arbgitration? Where do you see Duncan in three years? Happy Holidays. Mr. Hummel.

Roger

A: Thanks, Roger, and happy holidays to you, also. I don’t want to give Duncan away although he might be a tradeable commodity this spring when/if  teams see that he is healthy after hernia and neck issues the last two years. He is under control for three more seasons and is arbitration eligible. Three years from now, probably less than that, he’ll be in the American League.

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Q:  Rick, what is this love affair with Chris Duncan? He does give occasional power, but. his glove is a huge liability and he short-arms every ball that he throws (after he picks it up behind him). I am 53 years old and I swear I can still track a baseball better than he does. I say trade him, sell him, give him away, just do something with him other than allowing him to wear a Cardinal uniform any longer. Is his sticking around a favor to his dad? I just don’t understand.

Thanks,
Doug

A: If you’ll go back to 2006-07, you’ll find that Duncan hit 43 home runs in 655 at-bats, a particularly good clip. Then he got hurt and hasn’t been the same since. Yes, he is not a very good outfielder. He probably should be playing first base or DHing. Early in his pro career, he probably was kept around a bit longer because of his dad although Chris was a high draft pick and the club thought there was more to see.  That he was with the Cardinals the last few seasons was on his merit, not his dad’s. But it appears there is quite a division of opinion about him here and it probably is best if the Cardinals move him.

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Q: Commish, do the Cardinals have any second base prospects in the minors who could help the major league club in 2009 or 2010?? If so, who? I was looking at stats from AAA,AA,A,ball  and found no second baseman with any good hitting stats.

Bryan

A: No, this does not seem like a strong position for the Cardinals although perhaps somebody could be moved from shortstop down the line. They’ve had a different second baseman virtually every year since Vina left, so this is nothing new for them.

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