Elijah Dukes
Elijah Dukes | |
---|---|
Outfielder | |
Born: Homestead, Florida, U.S. | June 26, 1984|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
April 2, 2007, for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays | |
Last MLB appearance | |
October 4, 2009, for the Washington Nationals | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .242 |
Home runs | 31 |
Runs batted in | 123 |
Teams | |
Elijah David Dukes, Jr. (born June 26, 1984) is an American former professional baseball player. A right-handed outfielder, he played in Major League Baseball for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Washington Nationals.
Biography
High school years
Dukes attended
Professional career
Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2003–2007)
Dukes was drafted by the Devil Rays in the third round of the
On April 2, 2007, in his first official at bat, Dukes got his first major league hit with a solo home run to center field in the fifth inning against the New York Yankees. In his second game, he hit his second home run en route to a victory versus the Yankees. On December 3, 2007, Dukes was acquired by the Washington Nationals for left-hander Glenn Gibson, a fourth-round draft pick in 2006 who was ranked among the Nationals' Top 10 prospects according to various baseball sources, including prospect authority Baseball America.[1][2]
Washington Nationals (2008–2010)
Dukes injured his right hamstring on Opening Night
Dukes rebounded in June, hitting .292 with 4
Overall, Dukes hit for a .264
Dukes was released by the Nationals on March 17, 2010.[6]
Newark Bears (2010)
Following his release from the Nationals, Dukes reportedly agreed to a deal with the
Off-the-field problems
In 1996, Dukes' father was convicted of second-degree murder. One year later, Dukes was arrested for the first time. Dukes has been arrested at least three times for battery, and once for assault.[9] According to court records, he fathered at least five children with four women between 2003 and 2006.[9]
On May 23, 2007, Dukes's wife NiShea Gilbert sought a restraining order against him after he threatened her life and the lives of their children.[10] On May 2, Dukes had sent a photo of a gun to her cell phone and left her the following voicemail: "Hey, dawg. It's on, dawg. You dead, dawg. I ain't even bulls-------. Your kids too, dawg. It don't even matter to me who is in the car with you. Ni----, all I know is, ni----, when I see your motherf------ a-- riding, dawg, it's on. As a matter of fact, I'm coming to your motherf------ house."[10] On June 12, a 17-year-old foster child who was living in the care of a relative of Dukes accused him of impregnating her.[11] Police said the sex was apparently consensual.[11] When the girl confronted Dukes to inform him about the pregnancy, he allegedly got angry and threw a bottle of Gatorade at her.[11]
Dukes has received anger-management training.[9] When Dukes was traded to the Nationals, the team also hired an ex-police officer in the role of "Special Assistant: Player Concerns". This person accompanied Dukes everywhere to ensure that he kept himself free of trouble.[9]
Dukes was arrested in November 2010 for contempt due to failure to pay child support,[12][13] on March 2, 2011, for assaulting a pregnant ex-girlfriend.[14] and on January 22, 2013, for driving with a suspended license.[15]
See also
- Home run in first Major League at-bat
References
- ^ "Nats acquire Dukes from Rays". MLB.com. December 3, 2007.
- ^ "Washington Nationals: Top 10 Prospects". BaseballAmerica.com. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
- ^ Dukes leaves with tight hamstring Nationals.com
- ^ "Washington OF Dukes Leaves Game With Knee Injury". Comcast SportsNet. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
- ^ "Dukes headed to disabled list". MLB.com. August 7, 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Kilgore, Adam (March 18, 2010). "In surprising move, Washington Nationals release outfielder Elijah Dukes". Washington Post.
- ^ Cafardo, Nick (May 2, 2010). "Arizona is a hot spot for MLB with new law". Boston Globe.
- ^ Kilgore, Adam (July 1, 2010). "Elijah Dukes signs with independent league". Washington Post.
- ^ a b c d WFAN radio broadcast, New York Mets v Washington Nationals, September 10, 2008.
- ^ a b Encina, Eduardo, and Abbie Vansickle. "Ballplayer's wife: He threatened me, kids", The St. Petersburg Times, May 23, 2007.
- ^ a b c Teen: Dukes got me pregnant
- ^ "Ex-Rays outfielder Elijah Dukes arrested on contempt charges | TBO.com". www2.tbo.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
- ^ "Ex-Rays outfielder Elijah Dukes arrested on contempt charges". The Tampa Tribune. November 2, 2010. Archived from the original on December 3, 2010. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ "Former Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Elijah Dukes accused of hitting pregnant ex-girlfriend". TampaBay.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
- ^ Elijah Dukes. florida.arrests.org
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- "Interview on Ron and Ian Radio Show at 620 WDAE-AM". Archived from the original on December 28, 2011.