Chris Duncan played outfield for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2009. He recently signed with the Washington Nationals. Duncan’s offensive production flamed in and flamed out very quickly. At age 25 he played 90 games and posted a .363 OBP and a .589 slugging percentage. His slugging percentage dropped 109 points the next season, then another 115 points in 2008. His OBP was dropping, too, but remained about average.

In 2009, however, everything fell apart. He posted a slash line of .227/.329/.358, not the kind of numbers a team wants from a corner outfielder. When you examine his minor league record, however, it’s clear that his age 25 season was a fluke. With a minor league slash line of .259/.337/.411, there was no reason to expect him to be a power hitter.

The Cardinals recognized he was a platoon player and batted him almost always against right-handed pitchers. By using him correctly, putting Chris in situations where he was more likely to succeed, the Cardinals managed to get a few good seasons out of the hitter.