Remember Chris Duffy? Before the 2007 season began, fantasy leaguers looked at his September ’06 numbers (.336/.403/.458, 12 steals) and cast him as a possible 100 run, 50 steal leadoff man for the Bucs.
Indeed, Duffy entering ’07 with the Pirates’ starting center field job. He suffered a sore neck in Spring Training, but shook it off to post a respectable .350 OBP in April. He slumped in May and was moved to the #2 hole. Then in mid-June he sprained his right hamstring. That led to an ankle sprain later that month. Now he’s got a shoulder problem and may miss the rest of the season.
With Nate McLouth having a fine August and top prospect Andrew McCutchen coming on strong, Duffy’s window with the Pirates may have closed. According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates are ready to move on from Duffy. The implication is that they’ll trade him.
Whenever young center fielders come available, the Marlins are always mentioned. Are the Fish still on the prowl for a center fielder? Most likely – the Miami Herald mentioned earlier this month that the team had casual internal discussions about moving Hanley Ramirez to center field, but the current plan is to keep him at shortstop.
