First it was Tony La Russa retiring, then free agent Albert Pujols signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and now longtime pitching guru Dave Duncan has decided to leave his post as pitching coach with the St. Louis Cardinals. Citing personal reasons (his wife, Jeanine, had a brain tumor removed last August), Duncan will forego the final season on his contract at the age of 66.
Duncan served the same post as a member of the Chicago White Sox from 1983-1986 before moving on to the Oakland Athletics with La Russa. The Texan helped LaMarr Hoyt win the Cy Young Award in 1983 and went on to also help Bob Welch (1990), Dennis Eckersley (1992), and Chris Carpenter (2005) take home the trophy.
Along with those accomplishments, Duncan was also a MLB All-Star in 1971 and won four world championships as a player and manager. Signed as an amateur free agent, the righty would go on to hit .214 for his career with 109 homeruns and 341 RBI.
Bullpen coach Derek Lilliquist will fill the void left by Duncan’s departure and many assume the job is his to lose for the 2012 season. This much is for sure. There will be plenty of new faces in the “Show Me” state this summer.
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