Fan favorite and workaholic Shelley Duncan is looking for a fresh start.
Duncan, 30, was dropped from the Yankees’ 40-man roster yesterday, refused an outright assignment to the minors, and became a free agent.
A productive minor-league power hitter who was taken in the second round of the 2001 draft, Duncan’s right-handed muscle turned on Yankees fans when he arrived in July 2007. Six of the seven homers he hit that year were at Yankee Stadium, and 15 of the 17 RBIs were delivered in The Bronx.
Since right-handed power is hard to find, the Yankees found a spot on the Opening Day roster for Duncan in 2008, but he was sent to Triple-A Scranton in June.
This past year he was named International League MVP for hitting .277 and leading the Triple-A league in homers (30) and RBIs (99). In 11 big-league games he batted .200 (3-for-15).
In 68 career games in the majors, Duncan batted .219 (32-for-146) with eight homers, 24 RBIs.