The St. Louis Cardinals organization was saddened this evening to learn of the passing of former outfielder Chris Duncan from brain cancer. Duncan, the son of former Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan and brother of former major leaguer Shelley Duncan, was 38 years old.
“The Cardinals are deeply saddened by the passing of Chris Duncan and extend our heartfelt sympathy to his wife, Amy, the entire Duncan family, and his many friends,” said Cardinals Chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. “Chris was an integral part of our 2006 championship team and a great teammate and friend to many in the organization.”
Selected 46th overall by the Cardinals in the 1999 First Year Player Draft, Duncan made his MLB debut with the club on September 10, 2005 and hit his first major league home run on October 2, 2005, which proved to be the last regular season homer hit at Busch Stadium II. In 2006, Duncan was named the Cardinals Rookie of the Year by St. Louis media and broadcasters after hitting a career-high 22 home runs while appearing in 90 games. He would later appear in 10 postseason games that year, including three starts against the Detroit Tigers in the World Series.
Duncan became a regular in 2007, appearing in 127 games and finished second on the team in home runs (21) and RBI (70). His last game in the major leagues came with the Cardinals on July 20, 2009.
After his playing career, Duncan became a local radio host on WXOS (ESPN 101) in St. Louis.
