This week in Catching up with the Bucks, we are taking a look back at former Buck Jeff Duncan. The outfielder attended Iowa State and Arizona State and is one of nine former Bucks to have made it all the way to the major leagues.

Duncan played with the Bucks in the 1998 season where he played 43 games and hit for a .386 average. This was good for third best in Bucks single season history and also stands for second place on the Bucks career list. Duncan also scored 48 runs, hit one homer, and drove in 24 runs. He also hit seven doubles and two triples, helping put up a slugging percentage of .477. The former Sun Devil also drew 29 walks to help compile a .481 on-base percentage. Duncan’s speed on the base paths allowed him to steal 22 bases, putting together one of the best seasons by any player in Waterloo Bucks history.

After his time with the Bucks, Duncan was drafted in the 7^th round of the 2000 amateur draft by the New York Mets. After a slow start in A- Pittsfield where he hit just .242 and then hit .217 in A Columbia, he broke out in Columbia in 2002 when he hit .393 in 40 games, while slugging .600 with his 13 doubles, three triples, and four homers. This got Duncan up to A+ St. Lucie where he continued his great hitting with a .343 average.

In 2003, Duncan kept rising quickly through the organization. At AA Binghamton, he hit .288 with five triples and four homers. Duncan also played a few games at AAA Norfolk, but on May 20, 2003, he was called up to play for the New York Mets. . Duncan stayed with the Mets for 56 games in 2003, hitting .194 with a .291 on-base percentage. He also had ten RBIs and scored 13 runs.

In 2004, Duncan returned to AA Binghamton and AAA Norfolk for part of the season but was called up again to play for the Mets, playing 13 games and appearing just 17 times at the plate. As Duncan continued his career, he spent time on AAA Las Vegas for the Los Angeles Dodgers where he hit .299 and then in 2007 was at AAA Syracuse for the Toronto Blue Jays where he hit .213.

We will always remember Jeff Duncan as one of the great Bucks of all-time and wish him the best in all that he does.