May 14, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Cincinnati Reds left fielder Adam Duvall (23) hits an RBI double during the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Philadelphia Phillies won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
PHILADELPHIA — It’s becoming a breakout year for Adam Duvall.
The 27-year-old Cincinnati Reds left fielder, who first appeared the majors two years ago as a backup first baseman with San Francisco, only hit .204 over 137 at-bats between 2014 and 2015. He spent his whole first season with the Giants organization bouncing between the majors and minors, but before a midseason trade to Cincinnati, which brought him up for 27 games in September and October.
But after a 3-for-4 showing against the Phillies on Sunday, part of a 7-for-11 (.636) trip to Philadelphia, Duvall is batting .286 with 14 RBIs, equaling his total from the previous two seasons.
But no longer is he a corner infielder: Duvall has found his new home in left field, where he’s become the Reds’ regular at the position.
“There’s gotta be something to be said about being able to just relax and take each at-bat as they come and not feel like it’s the at-bat that’s going to get you in the lineup the next day,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “He’s certainly competing to keep the job, as everybody should feel they’re competing to maintain their spot and their regular at-bats, but for a young guy getting his experience here in the big leagues, he’s taken advantage of it and now he’s able to just got out there and know he’s going to play.”
With star first basemen Joey Votto mired in a season-long slump that has him batting just .215 after an 0-for-5 outing on Sunday, Duvall’s emergence as a reliable threat to not just get on base but get extra-base-hits (12 doubles, six home runs) has been crucial to the Cincinnati lineup.
And as much as Duvall has impressed behind the plate, he’s also taken naturally to his new defensive position quite nicely.
“He’s provided us with a lot of offense and a much better defense than we anticipated out there in left field, he’s done a nice job out there,” Price said. “The extra-base hits, they’re really adding up and his run production has been significant in our lineup. It’s not a surprise but it’s good to see.”
