Calgary Vipers veteran third baseman Carlos Duncan has been named Northern League Player of the Week for the week ending August 12th, 2007. Duncan, who is in his third year with the Vipers, batted .500 (11-for-22) with a league high 11 RBI, two doubles, three home runs and six runs scored in the week. A career .316 batter over his career in the Northern League, he currently ranks fourth in the league in batting (.352), second in runs scored (65) and hits (116), and fourth in RBI (68) and total bases (178).
The 6-0, 195-pounder, holds the Northern League record for stolen bases in a single season with 59 in 2005. This season, he has 17 stolen bases and is only five shy of moving up to fifth place in the Northern League All-Time list (Derek Kopacz–114).
The right-handed hitting native of San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, was originally signed in 1994 as a nondrafted free agent by the Philadelphia Phillies. After six seasons with the Phillies organization, he played a season in the independent Texas-Louisiana League before signing with the Anaheim Angels.
Heading into the final two weeks of the regular season the Vipers are now starting to play again like the team that won the North Division first half pennant. Several players are flirting with team records. Six players, Duncan, Darryl Brinkley, Nelson Castro, Kyle Nichols, Drew Miller and Manabu Kuramochi are over or near the .300 mark in batting. Brinkley is flirting with a .400 season. Currently the veteran outfielder leads the league with a .399 average and has a league leading 72 RBI. Duncan is fourth in the league in batting with an average of .352 and fourth in RBI with 68, two fewer than team-mate Jason Colson who is also third in the league in home runs with 15. Brinkley also leads the league in on-base percentage at .458 and is second in slugging percentage at an incredible .598.
The Vipers have never had a pitcher with 10 victories in a season but could have two by the September 2 finale. Chris Schutt leads the team with 9 wins while rookie Kazu Minami has 8. Both should have three more starts before the playoffs. Ace pitcher Evan Greusel continues to make progress and is likely to come off the injured list in time to have at least 2 starts before the playoffs.
The Vipers have a busy weekend planned at Foothills Stadium. Friday they host the Winnipeg Goldeyes in a “Sneak Out of Work Special” with a start time of 2:35 pm. Saturday it’s the Cardel Night Under the Stars with almost 200 youth at risk camping out under the stars in the outfield and watching movies on the ViperVision. On Sunday morning they will have a pancake breakfast, mini-training camp and watch the Vipers game.
The Vipers are already selling playoff tickets. The Northern League North Division Final opens in Calgary on Tuesday, Sept. 4 and Wednesday, Sept. 5. And the Vipers are also offering free parking for the Labour Day Classic between the Stampeders and Eskimos for any football fan who buys a Vipers playoff ticket.
