View source for Rob Ducey

{{short description|Canadian baseball player and coach (born 1965)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Rob Ducey
|image=
|position=[[Outfielder]]
|team=
|number=
|bats=Left
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1965|5|24}}
|birth_place=[[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], Canada
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=May 1
|debutyear=1987
|debutteam=Toronto Blue Jays
|debut2league = NPB
|debut2date=April 1
|debut2year=1995
|debut2team=Nippon-Ham Fighters
|final2league = MLB
|final2date=July 22
|final2year=2001
|final2team=Montreal Expos
|finalleague = NPB
|finaldate=September 24
|finalyear=1996
|finalteam=Nippon-Ham Fighters
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.242
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=31
|stat3label=[[Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=146
|stat2league = NPB
|stat21label=Batting average
|stat21value=.248
|stat22label=Home runs
|stat22value=51
|stat23label=Runs batted in
|stat23value=120
|teams=
* [[Toronto Blue Jays]] ({{mlby|1987}}–{{mlby|1992}})
* [[California Angels]] ({{mlby|1992}})
* [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] ({{mlby|1993}}–{{mlby|1994}})
* [[Nippon-Ham Fighters]] ({{npby|1995}}–{{npby|1996}})
* [[Seattle Mariners]] ({{mlby|1997}}–{{mlby|1998}})
* [[Philadelphia Phillies]] ({{mlby|1999}}–{{mlby|2000}})
* [[Toronto Blue Jays]] ({{mlby|2000}})
* [[Philadelphia Phillies]] ({{mlby|2000}}–{{mlby|2001}})
* [[Montreal Expos]] ({{mlby|2001}})
| hofcolor= #EC1C40
| hoflink= Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
| hoftype= Canadian 
| hofdate= 2013
}}

'''Robert Thomas Ducey''' (born May 24, 1965) is a [[Canadians|Canadian]] former professional [[baseball]] [[outfielder]] and coach who played for six teams in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB).<ref name="bbrefduceymaj">{{cite web |title=Rob Ducey Stats |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/duceyro01.shtml |access-date=January 5, 2020 |work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref> 

==Career==
Ducey was raised in [[Cambridge, Ontario]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Josh |date=August 2, 2008 |title=Rob Ducey: Cambridge native's back – as a coach |url=http://news.therecord.com/article/393572 |access-date=January 15, 2009 |work=[[Waterloo Region Record]]}}</ref> and graduated from [[Seminole Community College]]. 

The [[Toronto Blue Jays]] signed Ducey as a free agent in {{baseball year|1984}}. He debuted in MLB with the Blue Jays in {{baseball year|1987}} and played with the team until the end of July {{baseball year|1992}}. He then played in MLB for the [[California Angels]] (1992), [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] ({{baseball year|1993}}–{{Baseball year|1994}}), [[Seattle Mariners]] ({{baseball year|1997}}–{{baseball year|1998}}), [[Philadelphia Phillies]] ({{baseball year|1999}}–{{baseball year|2000}}, 2000-{{baseball year|2001}}), and [[Montreal Expos]] (2001), with a brief return to Toronto in 2000. He ended his 13-year major league career with a .242 [[Batting average (baseball)|batting average]] and 31 [[home run]]s in 703 games.<ref name="bbrefduceymaj" /><ref name=":0">{{Sabrbio|rob-ducey}}</ref> He also played for the [[Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters|Nippon-Ham Fighters]] in [[Nippon Professional Baseball]] in 1995 and 1996, hitting 51 home runs, topping his 31 home runs in MLB.<ref name="bbrefduceymaj" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Rob Ducey |url=https://baseballhalloffame.ca/hall-of-famer/rob-ducey/ |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=[[Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum]]}}</ref>

Ducey was part of a major league anomaly in 2000, when he was traded by the Phillies to the Blue Jays on July 26 for minor league pitcher John Sneed, and was then traded by the Blue Jays back to the Phillies on August 7 for [[Mickey Morandini]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Stark |first=Jayson |author-link=Jayson Stark |date=August 12, 2000 |title=Ducey for Ducey? Not quite, but close enough |url=https://assets.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/stark_jayson/679879.html |access-date=June 10, 2015 |work=[[ESPN]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=August 10, 2000 |title=Sneed battles self, Altoona |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=20000810&id=mvohAAAAIBAJ&sjid=aaMFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1324,5689696&hl=en |access-date=June 10, 2015 |publisher=[[Reading Eagle]] |pages=C3 |via=Google News Archive}}</ref>

Ducey served as a [[designated hitter]] for [[Canada national baseball team|Canada]] in the [[2004 Summer Olympics]], which finished in fourth place. As a result, he became the first Canadian to have played for two Canadian MLB teams, the Expos and Blue Jays, and the Canadian Olympic team.<ref name="mlbpr">{{cite web|title=Blue Jays add Ducey to scouting staff|url=http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20060109&content_id=1293013&vkey=pr_tor&fext=.jsp&c_id=tor|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610085841/http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20060109&content_id=1293013&vkey=pr_tor&fext=.jsp&c_id=tor|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 10, 2015|access-date=June 10, 2015|website=MLB.com|date=January 9, 2006}}</ref> [[Matt Stairs]], [[Denis Boucher]], and [[Shawn Hill]] are the only other ballplayers to achieve such distinction.<ref name=":1" />

Subsequently, Ducey spent one year each in the [[New York Yankees]]' and Expos organizations as a minor league [[Coach (baseball)#Offensive coaches: hitting coach and base coaches|hitting coach]],<ref name=milb/> before being hired in 2006 by the Blue Jays as a [[Scout (sport)|talent scout]].<ref name=mlbpr/> His responsibilities included covering both the major and minor leagues, as well as [[spring training|spring training camp]] before moving to the [[Pacific Rim]] department. In October 2009, he was dismissed by then-new Jays [[general manager (baseball)|general manager]] [[Alex Anthopoulos]] when coverage of Asia was not a priority for the organization.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Griffin|first1=Richard|title=Blue Jays struck by winds of change|url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/2009/10/10/blue_jays_struck_by_winds_of_change.html|access-date=June 10, 2015|work=Toronto Star|date=October 10, 2009}}</ref>

Ducey was hired to scout for the [[Tampa Bay Rays]] in the 2011 season,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Gill|first1=Cliff|title=An accomplished athlete in baseball and basketball|url=http://tbo.com/pasco-county/an-accomplished-athlete-in-baseball-and-basketball-6634|access-date=June 10, 2015|work=The Tampa Tribune|date=February 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610092821/http://tbo.com/pasco-county/an-accomplished-athlete-in-baseball-and-basketball-6634|archive-date=June 10, 2015|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> then joined the Phillies minor league system in 2014, again serving as a hitting coach through 2017.<ref name="milb">{{cite news |last1=Karbach |first1=Kirsten |date=April 6, 2015 |title=Legg Returns to Lead New-Look Staff |url=https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-116557422 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610090359/http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20150406&content_id=116557422&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_t566&sid=t566 |archive-date=June 10, 2015 |access-date=June 10, 2015 |work=[[Minor League Baseball]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Rob Ducey Intl, MLB, Minor League, Independent Baseball Statistics |url=https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/player/796/ |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=The Baseball Cube}}</ref> In 2020, Ducey was the hitting coach for the [[Fubon Guardians]] of the [[Chinese Professional Baseball League]] (CPBL).<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Josh |date=2021-05-27 |title=Cambridge's Rob Ducey takes a swing at a new career |url=https://www.therecord.com/sports/baseball/cambridge-s-rob-ducey-takes-a-swing-at-a-new-career/article_5cfa12f2-0c2e-5bdb-8fdc-9ad8f68522ec.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250410072835/https://www.therecord.com/sports/baseball/cambridge-s-rob-ducey-takes-a-swing-at-a-new-career/article_5cfa12f2-0c2e-5bdb-8fdc-9ad8f68522ec.html |archive-date=2025-04-10 |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=[[The Waterloo Region Record]]}}</ref>

Ducey also coached Canada in the [[2006 World Baseball Classic]], [[Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Olympics]], and [[2015 WBSC Premier12]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Baseball Canada Announces Coaching Staff for World Baseball Classic |url=https://baseball.ca/?alias=baseball-canada-announces-coaching-staff-for-world-baseball-classic |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=[[Baseball Canada]]}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

==Awards==
In 1986, Ducey won the [[Tip O'Neill Award]], given annually to the top Canadian baseball player. He was inducted in the [[Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 2013. When he was inducted, Ducey joined [[Terry Puhl]] and [[Larry Walker]] as the only Canadian baseball players to achieve both of those milestones. [[Corey Koskie]], [[Jason Bay]], [[Ryan Dempster]], [[Justin Morneau]], and [[Russell Martin (baseball)|Russell Martin]] have since garnered both honors.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=James "Tip" O'Neill Award |url=https://baseballhalloffame.ca/james-tip-oneill-award/ |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=[[Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Inductees |url=https://baseballhalloffame.ca/inductees/ |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=[[Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum]]}}</ref>

Ducey was also inducted into the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rob Ducey |url=https://cambridgeshf.com/inductees/rob-ducey/ |website=Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Ducey lives in [[Tarpon Springs, Florida]], with his wife Yanitza and their sons Thomas and Aaron and their daughter Jenaka.<ref>{{cite news |title=Take 5 With Rob Ducey |url=https://baseball.ca/take-5-with-rob-ducey |access-date=January 21, 2017 |work=[[Baseball Canada]]}}</ref><ref name=":2" />

In 2021, Ducey began working as a life insurance agent in Florida.<ref name=":2" />

==See also==
*[[List of Major League Baseball players from Canada]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{baseballstats|mlb=113585|espn=1948|br=d/duceyro01|fangraphs=1003520|brm=ducey-001rob|retro=D/Pduceb001}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20200418101243/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/du/rob-ducey-1.html Rob Ducey] at Sports Reference Olympic Sports

{{Tip O'Neill Award}}
{{Canada 2004 Olympic Baseball Team}}{{Canada roster 2006 World Baseball Classic}}{{Canada 2008 Olympic Baseball Team}}
{{Canada roster 2015 WBSC Premier12}}
{{Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ducey, Rob}}
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Adirondack Lumberjacks players]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Toronto]]
[[Category:Baseball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Black Canadian baseball players]]
[[Category:Black Canadian sportsmen]]
[[Category:California Angels players]]
[[Category:Canadian baseball coaches]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriate baseball players in Japan]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriate baseball players in the United States]]
[[Category:Cardenales de Lara players]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriate baseball players in Venezuela]]
[[Category:Florence Blue Jays players]]
[[Category:Knoxville Blue Jays players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball outfielders]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball players from Canada]]
[[Category:Medicine Hat Blue Jays players]]
[[Category:Minor league baseball coaches]]
[[Category:Montreal Expos players]]
[[Category:Nippon Ham Fighters players]]
[[Category:Nippon Professional Baseball outfielders]]
[[Category:Oklahoma City 89ers players]]
[[Category:Olympic baseball players for Canada]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Phillies players]]
[[Category:Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players]]
[[Category:Seattle Mariners players]]
[[Category:Seminole State Raiders baseball players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Cambridge, Ontario]]
[[Category:Syracuse Chiefs players]]
[[Category:Tacoma Rainiers players]]
[[Category:Tampa Bay Rays scouts]]
[[Category:Texas Rangers players]]
[[Category:Toronto Blue Jays players]]
[[Category:Toronto Blue Jays scouts]]
[[Category:Ventura County Gulls players]]
[[Category:Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen]]