Post by mikehughes on Dec 3, 2007 18:23:07 GMT -5
washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071203&content_id=2315981&vkey=news_was&fext=.jsp&c_id=was
NASHVILLE -- The Nationals acquired outfielder Elijah Dukes from the Tampa Bay Rays for Minor League left-hander Glenn Gibson on Monday afternoon.
Dukes, 23, is a player Washington has coveted since the 2005 offseason. The right-handed-hitting Dukes is considered a player with a lot of upside on the field, but he comes with a lot of baggage. The St. Petersburg Times reported in May that Dukes' estranged wife filed a restraining order against him. On June 22, the Rays optioned the troubled outfielder to the Minor Leagues and placed him on the temporary inactive list. Dukes has also been suspended in the Minors for bad behavior.
A fourth-round pick in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft, Gibson attended Center Moriches, N.Y., High School on Long Island. The 20-year-old pitched last season for Class A Vermont of the New-York Penn League and went 4-3 with a 3.10 ERA in 12 starts.
Dukes finished the 2007 season hitting .190 with 10 home runs and 21 RBIs. Because of his off-the-field problems, the Nationals must have a plan in place to make sure that he's successful on the field and a solid citizen off of it, according to the source. It's believed that Nats manager Manny Acta and first baseman Dmitri Young most likely would be Dukes' mentors.
"We have been committed to providing Elijah the support needed to get his personal and professional life back on track," said Rays senior vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. "He has made progress, and a logical next step is a change of cities and a fresh start for him and his family."
Acta is a patient man who has developed players for more than a decade, and Young is the leader in the Nationals' clubhouse.
NASHVILLE -- The Nationals acquired outfielder Elijah Dukes from the Tampa Bay Rays for Minor League left-hander Glenn Gibson on Monday afternoon.
Dukes, 23, is a player Washington has coveted since the 2005 offseason. The right-handed-hitting Dukes is considered a player with a lot of upside on the field, but he comes with a lot of baggage. The St. Petersburg Times reported in May that Dukes' estranged wife filed a restraining order against him. On June 22, the Rays optioned the troubled outfielder to the Minor Leagues and placed him on the temporary inactive list. Dukes has also been suspended in the Minors for bad behavior.
A fourth-round pick in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft, Gibson attended Center Moriches, N.Y., High School on Long Island. The 20-year-old pitched last season for Class A Vermont of the New-York Penn League and went 4-3 with a 3.10 ERA in 12 starts.
Dukes finished the 2007 season hitting .190 with 10 home runs and 21 RBIs. Because of his off-the-field problems, the Nationals must have a plan in place to make sure that he's successful on the field and a solid citizen off of it, according to the source. It's believed that Nats manager Manny Acta and first baseman Dmitri Young most likely would be Dukes' mentors.
"We have been committed to providing Elijah the support needed to get his personal and professional life back on track," said Rays senior vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. "He has made progress, and a logical next step is a change of cities and a fresh start for him and his family."
Acta is a patient man who has developed players for more than a decade, and Young is the leader in the Nationals' clubhouse.
