Elijah Dukes anyone ?
by kcscoliny on Mar 17, 2010 10:31 AM EDT
Email
Print
The Nats released Elijah Dukes this morning according to MLBtraderumors. Would you be interested in picking him up? Ben Goessling at MASN notes he is arbitration eligible after this season.
via a.espncdn.com
Dukes has alot of physical tools but might be a mental tool also. '08 he put up a 2.8 WAR value with a .864 OPS and positive defense in RF. He is only 25 will be 26 in June and has an option year left. He appears to be a excellent upside candidate to start the season in Omaha make sure he is healthy and then bring him up if KC can pawn off Pods or Ankiel later. He seems to be a nice combo of OB skill(Fans) and tools(GMDM).
Dukes definitely has a checkered past. Threatening to kill his ex-wife, numerous run ins with the law and fathering a number of children that would impress Shaun Kemp and Antonio Cromartie. This would be purely a talent signing in the hopes he would fulfill his big potential.
By Adam Kilgore Washington Post
The Nationals this morning granted outfielder Elijah Dukes, a player brimming with potential yet haunted by a controversial past, his unconditional release.
Manager Jim Riggleman said it was a strictly baseball decision and not related to any off-the-field problems. "We like some of our other options in right field, really," Riggleman said. "Elijah was great."
The candidates to replace Dukes in right field are Justin Maxwell of Olney, Maryland, Roger Bernadina, Mike Morse and Willie Harris. The Nationals believe they will get better produciton by platooning a combination of these players than by playing Dukes alone.
There will be much more later on this story, a stunning development that seemed to take the clubhouse completely by surprise.
48 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Anything is better than Pods
Including going with 2 OFers and 5 IFers.
If Dukes has an option left, why did they release him? Is he still that much of a trouble maker?
The immoderate moderator
by Scott McKinney on Mar 17, 2010 10:43 AM EDT reply actions
Goessling tweeted that it wasn't due to trouble.
So maybe his injuries from last year are lingering. I don’t know
I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.
This move doesn't make a whole lot of sense
It appears that they just kind of hated him. Didn’t they fine him for being late when he was at a school reading for kids last year?
I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.
I was wondering this same thing
Even if it is due to injuries, doesn’t their minor league system seem like a good place to nurture those injuries back to health? I think this definitely points to his off-the-field issues.
I tend to believe people have the ability to change for the better and if there’s a place in baseball where this could take place, it’d be KC.
……but he’ll probably be signed by the Raiders.
by i before e except after Grrr on Mar 17, 2010 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
in revenge, Dayton will sign Reggie Bush
I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at FanGraphs.
Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.
by Matt Klaassen on Mar 17, 2010 1:04 PM EDT up reply actions
I bet Reggie can rake
…the question is, can he field better than Yuni?
by i before e except after Grrr on Mar 17, 2010 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions
well obviously
he has that “lateral quickness” about him
Marriage is a great institution, for those that like being in institutions.
At worst, he's a younger, cheaper Guillen
"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it." -Hal McRae
"I was doing this when BJ was in his father's nutsack." -Renzo Gracie
If he was released because of yet another serious misdeed, then I don't want him.
MLB players don’t need to be saints. I don’t mind giving a guy a second or third chance, but at some point you have to draw the line. From Dukes’s Wikipedia page:
Dukes has been arrested at least three times for battery, and once for assault.6 According to court records, he fathered at least five children with four women between 2003 and 2006.6
On May 23, 2007, it was reported that his wife filed a restraining order after he threatened to kill her.7 On June 12, a 17-year-old foster child who was living in the care of a relative of Dukes accused him of impregnating her.8 Police said the sex was apparently consensual.8 When the girl confronted Dukes, he allegedly got angry and threw a bottle of Gatorade at her.
The immoderate moderator
by Scott McKinney on Mar 17, 2010 11:13 AM EDT reply actions
guys who hit and play D don't just get released for no reason
as billex says below, there must be some deeper issues here than “we think a platoon of random guys is better than him”.
Zapp Brannigan/Dayton Moore quote of the day: "[my most important sabermetric stats are] runs scored and runs driven in"
by SagehenMacGyver47 on Mar 17, 2010 11:53 AM EDT up reply actions
Dukes CHONE projection: 262/364/446 +11 batting runs
Based on the projection, he would have been the third best hitter on the team (and second most valuable overall considering defense and position).
The release was not a baseball decision, or a financial decision since he is making essentially the league minimum this year. Unless we find out the actual reason for the release, I don’t think you can sign him.
by Gopherballs on Mar 17, 2010 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree
He’s been relatively quiet the last two years or so. If he’s become a jerk again, I say pass. Otherwise, yes please.
But I have a hard time believing they released him for any reason other than being a dick.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
by RoyalsRetro on Mar 17, 2010 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions
a 17-year-old foster child who was living in the care of a relative of Dukes accused him of impregnating her.8 Police said the sex was apparently consensual.8 When the girl confronted Dukes, he allegedly got angry and threw a bottle of Gatorade at her.
Wow that one is pretty damn bad.
I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.
well they are all bad but that one takes the cake
I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.
Your dead dog
Dukes definitely has issues here is a article about his confrontation with his exwife in her classroom
I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.
No way...
He’s a bad guy. It’s a shame that Lastings Milledge got lumped together with him, because they’re not even close. Lastings Milledge is a generally good kid who yapped a little too much and made a couple of bad choices. Dukes is just a bad bad dude. Bad, the pejorative. He’d be an embarrassment to the franchise and is not worth it.
we used to have another "bad" guy
in Ambiorix Burgos…..got the better of that deal with Bannister and not having to deal with Burgos’ then-anticipated off-field issues.
If we're going to trade Guitierez and Cortes for character issues
No way do we pick him up.
I voted NO because I don’t think he’ll ever get his head on straight.
Coffee. The NEW Performance Enhancing drug for Sport's Writers. Just ask Ken Rosenthal.
OTOH
We picked up Jose Guillen (dismissed from Angels for being a jerk), Alberto Callaspo (domestic abuse) and Roman Colon (punched a teammate), all of whom were known for having off-the-field issues as well.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
by RoyalsRetro on Mar 17, 2010 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Don't forget
the aborted/attempted trade for Milton Bradley.
"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it." -Hal McRae
"I was doing this when BJ was in his father's nutsack." -Renzo Gracie
by Sweep_the_Leg on Mar 17, 2010 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions
It would seem to me
that Dayton’s tolerance for off-field/clubhouse/team-chemistry issues is normal-to-high among GM’s, as long as those issues don’t involve any disrespect for HIS or his FO’s authori-TAY (Guitierrez).
"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it." -Hal McRae
"I was doing this when BJ was in his father's nutsack." -Renzo Gracie
by Sweep_the_Leg on Mar 17, 2010 12:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I just don't think character is all that important in sports.
Alot of the guys have false personas so to know what they are really like is somewhat ridiculous. He is a bad guy that is definitely true from the reading but I can’t tell you if Jason Kendall is a good or bad guy either. If I would’ve made my judgement based on announcers and such prior to his divorce article I would’ve probably said stand up dude. Now? I pay money to watch these guys play a sport for 3 hours and I want them to entertain me and do good things during that 3 hours. If they break the law outside the game then I expect them to get what’s coming to them. They defintely aren’t idols.
I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.
I would tend to agree, however
there’s a difference between a guy with “character issues” and a guy who’s liable to commit a felony. I’ll tolerate the former if he’s good; the latter, forget it. If a guy’s got serious violence issues, there’s always that chance you’re involuntarily deprived of his services due to his off-field behavior.
This space for rent.
I have no idea
but did Milton Bradley has issues before he was brought to the major leagues?
Glad I came, just wish I hadn't stayed so long.
People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.
I don't know
nothing (at least nothing publicized) which touches Dukes
I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at FanGraphs.
Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.
by Matt Klaassen on Mar 17, 2010 10:50 PM EDT up reply actions
I didn't remember reading anything.
That could still be taken two ways.
First- Milton Bradley was never subjected the pressure/rigors/assholes of life in MLB and he just didn’t handle it.
Second- Dukes is dealing with it now and can learn while he is developing and as he matures will turn out to be a better professional.
I guess the argument could be made that Bradley didn’t get that chance when he was young and never learned how to deal with it.
Or maybe he’s just like Jose Guillen:
“I hate to be losing and you know how I get when I’m losing. When we’re winning, everything is perfect.”
Glad I came, just wish I hadn't stayed so long.
People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.
I usually don't make a big deal out of "character issues"
since if there’s anything we know, it’s that we don’t know anything about these guys, but like Gopherballs writes above, Dukes is so obviously talented that it has to be something serious for the Nationals to let him go. We’d have to know more.
At the risk of being maudlin, I really hope Dukes gets whatever help he needs.
I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at FanGraphs.
Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.
On the other hand, now that I think about it
If Dukes really does have a problem with women, didn’t the Royals recently acquire an awesome mentor for just that sort of thing?
I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at FanGraphs.
Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.
Jim Bowden vs Stan Kasten Pres. of Nats via twitter
Jim Bowden
E.Dukes was given opportunities most people dream about. He was given support and understanding at high levels and still failed. Sad."
(Because failure to take advantage of dream-worthy sports opportunities should never be tolerated. Clearly.)
And then this:
After latest incident, credit Nats for making the right decision. They told him zero tolerance and followed their word.
Stan Kasten
Stan Kasten:
“I know of no ‘incident’ as it pertains to Elijah Dukes and his unconditional release today.”And then this:
Stan Kasten continued:
“People who are saying this don’t know what they’re talking about.”
Bowden deleted his tweet
I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.
As Tom Boswell commented ..
Unless he knows a lot more than he has said, Bowden should be ashamed of himself. Just one year ago, he was lamenting how he was being driven out of his job by unsubstantiated rumors and inuendo. Now, he’s the first one to jump on Dukes with his own inuendo __which the Nats immediately denied categorically.
Ask Boswell: Nats Spring Training, Stephen Strasburg, Caps and more (tip o’ the tam to BaseballThinkFactory for the story link)
by Steve Nelson on Mar 18, 2010 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions
From what I understand
Bowden should be ashamed himself for a lot more than tweeting an unsubstantiated rumor.
"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it." -Hal McRae
"I was doing this when BJ was in his father's nutsack." -Renzo Gracie
by Sweep_the_Leg on Mar 18, 2010 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Nothing looming
according to Dukes’s attorney Grady Irvin: “There are no off-the-field issues whatsoever. Absolutely none. You can look at anything you want to.”
per Adam Kilgore Twitter
I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.
Kilgore Trout wrote a story about this
Where initially it was thought that there were no problems but then upon further investigation it became clear that Dukes’ twin brother had been masquerading as him, and that the real Dukes had been kidnapped to another planet where baseball is played solely by women and rather than the ball being thrown toward home by the pitcher for the batter to hit, the batter instead throws his bat toward the pitcher and then tosses the ball to the ground and proceed to discredit the pitcher’s past out loud as they run to third, then 2nd, then 1st base, then hold their breath until they pass out, after which you’ve successfully scored 0.5 runs.
by Crooow on Mar 17, 2010 1:53 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Doesn't sound like one of his.
Makes too much sense.
I think we have to sign him
Trey and Dayton will convert him to Dispensational Premillinarianism, along with Kendall. They will both hit .350 with 30 HR and tie for Comeback of the Year. This is an opportunity to save Elijah Dukes’s soul that the Royals cannot pass up.
Seriously, he must have done something just intolerable, along the lines of showing up high on PCP, waving a gun, punching a clubhouse guy, spitting in the manager’s face, and threatening to kill everybody. There’s no other reason you’d just fire a player as promising as Dukes.
It's pronounced Poo-ZHOLS in Catalan.
Put him AAA for...
one full calendar year and see what happens. Or assign him a mentor like Frank White. It’s worth a shot. – TL
"Sir,--It has been wittily remarked that there are three kinds of falsehood: the first is a 'fib,' the second is a downright lie, and the third and most aggravated is statistics." *The National Observer* (June 13, 1891): p. 93-94.
I thought that Trey's bathtub could teleport Master Mentor Jason Kendall through time and space?
One of his intangibles is clearly how to teach respect for women!
I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at FanGraphs.
Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.
by Matt Klaassen on Mar 17, 2010 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Make him pick up some folding chairs
That is sure to turn his life around.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
maybe we can get ron washington to mentor him
on how to properly consume cocaine and pass a drug test
-
No brainer
he’s 25, with speed and power potential.
Sign him, dump him in Omaha and see what happens.
he would be the youngest OFer the Royals have?
NO BRAINER
[img]http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0eTH2sm73rf3u/610x.jpg[/img]
Thats my thinking
he should come really cheap on top of that. Make it clear that this is a zero tolerance situation and see what happens. If he is so much as late for the team bus to Des Moines to play Iowa then cut him on the spot.
Sign him first thing in the morning
He’d be an immediate upgrade over anything we have in RF, and if he gets into trouble, we can just release him or banish him to the minors. I would do this without thinking.
by Soria's Unibrow on Mar 18, 2010 2:41 AM EDT reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Royals Review
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
