Former SF Giants infielder Matt Duffy makes Royals Opening Day roster

The Duffman will be in the big leagues on Opening Day! Former SF Giants infielder Matt Duffy has made the Kansas City Royals roster.

Marc Delucchi | Mar 29, 2023

Former SF Giants infielder Matt Duffy makes Royals Opening Day roster /

In this story:

The Kansas City Royals informed infielder Matt Duffy that he made the team's Opening Day roster, according to a report by Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Duffy was a non-roster invitee and will now start the season as the team's primary utility infielder. Duffy, of course, was a key contributor for the SF Giants from 2014-2016 before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays as part of a package for southpaw Matt Moore.

SF Giants third baseman Matt Duffy hits a sacrifice fly. (2016) / Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Duffy is coming off a down season with the Los Angeles Angels when he hit .250/.308/.311 with just 10 extra-base hits (2 home runs) in 247 plate appearances, which forced him to settle for a minor-league deal with Kansas City this offseason. However, this spring with the Royals, Duffy hit .316/.341/.447 with five doubles in 41 plate appearances.

The Royals will be the fifth team Duffy has played for at the big-league level across his eight MLB seasons. A career .279/.337/.373 hitter, Duffy has been trying to replicate his early-career success with the Giants for several years.

Duffy was selected by the Giants in the 18th round of the 2012 MLB Draft out of Long Beach State as an athletic soft-hitting shortstop. Then, almost as soon as he reached pro ball, Duffy took a massive step forward offensively.

In his first full minor-league season, Duffy hit .303/.389/.443 with nearly as many walks (52) as strikeouts (57) between Single-A and High-A. The following year, Duffy was matching that production at Double-A and received a late-season call up to the majors just in time for the Giants 2014 postseason run. While Duffy only had six at-bats in the playoffs, he scored a pair of runs, including one of the best baserunning plays in MLB history.

After winning a World Series in 2014, Duffy emerged as the Giants starting third baseman the following season in what turned out to be the most productive campaign of his career. In 149 games, Duffy hit .295/.334/.428 with 28 doubles, 6 triples, 12 homers, and 12 stolen bases. At only 24 years old, he looked like a member of the Giants core going forward.

However, Duffy was unable to replicate that production the following season, and by the trade deadline, had been sent to Tampa Bay. A combination of injuries and poor performance in the years since have relegated Matt Duffy to utility infield duty with the Rays, Chicago Cubs, Angels, and now Royals.

Published Mar 29, 2023

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).