Would you trade for Elijah Dukes?

[Tbadder]

Would you trade for Dukes if the price was right?

 

I realize we don't need another outfielder, but the kid's ceiling is pretty high. We might be able to get him cheap, hide him away somewhere and get him the help he needs.

 

Or do we simply never get into this situation, don't need the headache, etc.

 

I admit he's an abominable human right now, but he's young and might be persuaded to understand what's at stake here?

 

 

(better subject -TC)

[berniebrewer4life]

No. He is too much of a cancer. IMO, he's not worth it. If we could get him really, REALLY cheap i would think about it. But nothing short of a pillaging.

[Tedaldtada]

Dukes for PTBNL (Brad Nelson)

 

Would have to think about it I guess, but Nah.

[jackalope02ca]

Don't want to touch this guy at any price. He's virtually untradable anyways. No one would pay his value as a player because of his domestic and other issues and Tampa won't give him away unless they decide to just cut bait and absorb the loss. I think we are still aways from that though.

[dadofandrew]

Heh. Considering he's one step away from a career ending injury and a woman beater, no way.

[DHonks]

nothing. He's a nice guy and a good teammate. His bat is special. But he has no cartilage in one knee. I don't know how he's played CF for the DRays, as the last time I saw him he seemed to think he'd only make the big leagues as a DH, and his trainer felt he'd be out of the game within 2 years because of his knee.

[MNBrew]

My sister-in-law taught him one year in HS in Tampa. The guy went to 4 different high schools in 4 years. Two of those moves were because he hit teachers. Lots of talent but way, way, way too much trouble. Don't touch him with a 10-ft. pole.

[Boy Jeenius]

Why trade for Dukes? Why trade for a prospect when the real deal is available? Dr. Kervorkian just got out of jail. We'll just sign him as a free agent.

[dpapo]

Even if he was cut, I wouldn't be interested in the Brewers picking him up. Too much trouble.

 

Ballplayer's wife: He threatened me, kids

Rays' Elijah Dukes is under a restraining order - again.

By EDUARDO ENCINA and ABBIE VANSICKLE

Published May 23, 2007

 

TAMPA - In late April, Tampa Bay Devil Rays outfielder Elijah Dukes barged into his wife's middle school classroom at lunchtime.

 

He was so irate that she ran to get the principal and a deputy, who banned Dukes from the property, records show.

 

His wife, who said she fears for her life, sought a restraining order and told the court it was the latest in a string of outbursts by the 22-year-old rookie player.

 

Dukes' wife, NiShea Gilbert, 26, a teacher at Beth Shields Middle School in Ruskin, told the court in another filing Thursday that her husband threatened to kill her and sent a photo of a handgun to her cell phone.

 

She played the St. Petersburg Times a voice mail message she said was from Dukes:

 

"You dead, dawg," says an angry voice. "I ain't even bulls-------. Your kids, too."

 

Dukes is in his first season with the Devil Rays, and his eight home runs - the most by any American League rookie - speak to his professional promise.

 

But Dukes' personal life is a mess. Twice in the last month, the wife of the Tampa native and former Hillsborough High standout has filed requests for protection against him. A court hearing on her latest request is May 30.

 

"I just don't think I should live in fear," said Gilbert. "When (the Rays) go out of town, I come home. When they're at home, I go stay with my mother. I shouldn't have to live like that because he's a baseball player."

 

Dukes, when approached after batting practice Tuesday evening, declined to discuss the allegations.

 

"I'm just going to play ball, that's it," he said. "I've got to go. I've got a video game to finish."

 

He referred to a statement provided by Rick Vaughn, team vice president.

 

"The end of our marriage is a personal matter for my wife and me," the statement reads. "Out of respect for my family, especially my children, I wish to keep our proceedings private."

 

Andrew Friedman, the team's executive vice president of baseball operations, said he was aware of the marital strife, but he knew nothing about allegations of threats.

 

"I think it's premature to comment on it," he said. "This is the first that we've heard of it. ... The only knowledge we had was that this was a messy divorce. But obviously not the extent that she's stating."

 

After the school incident, Gilbert filed a request for a restraining order. It was dropped when she missed a court hearing. She filed a second request Thursday.

 

In it, she said she missed the hearing because one of her children was in the hospital. She said she has received other death threats in recent weeks, including the message she says Dukes left May 2 on her phone.

 

Here's what the voice on the machine says:

 

"Hey, dawg. It's on, dawg. You dead, dawg. I ain't even bulls-------. Your kids too, dawg. It don't even matter to me who is in the car with you. N-----, all I know is, n-----, when I see your m-----f------- a-- riding, dawg, it's on. As a matter of fact, I'm coming to your m-----f------ house."

 

She also says Dukes called her and told her to check her cell phone.

 

He sent a text message with a photo of a handgun, she said.

 

"Elijah continues to call me telling me he is going to kill me and texting me pictures of a gun," she wrote in her request to the court. "I am scared for my life and my kids' life."

 

However, Gilbert did not call police about those threats, saying she saw the restraining order as an "alternative" way of protecting herself.

 

"People kept telling me it would mess up his career," said Gilbert, who said both family and friends told her not to press charges against Dukes.

 

But deputies have been called four times to deal with the couple's domestic issues, said Hillsborough sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter.

 

In 2003, Gilbert accused Dukes of throwing a remote control at her. In April 2004, she accused him of harassing phone calls. Later that year, she said he hit her with a soda can, threw a glass candy bowl and ripped a phone cord out of the wall when she tried to call 911. In August 2006, deputies arrested Gilbert, accusing her of scratching her husband's back during an argument. The charge was dropped in September.

 

Court records show that Dukes was sentenced to probation in February 2005 for a charge of domestic battery. They also show that Gilbert received a yearlong restraining order against Dukes in October 2004. But the incident involved in those cases was unclear Tuesday.

 

In October 2005, another Tampa woman, Carla Bryant, the mother of Dukes' oldest child, filed for a domestic violence restraining order against Dukes. A judge ordered that he stay away from her for a year. Bryant claimed Dukes threatened her over the phone.

 

Dukes was ordered to attend an anger management course.

 

Reached Tuesday, Bryant declined to say why she filed for protection. She said she was "going through complicated issues" at the time. Her grandfather was ailing. Dukes was trying to be more involved in their daughter's life.

 

"We've resolved an issue that we probably could have dealt with ourselves," Bryant said. "As far as anything domestic, I haven't had any altercations with him recently, and anything in the past, I'd like to leave it there."

 

The pair have a daughter. Bryant had no complaints about Dukes' treatment of the child.

 

Four women have gone to court seeking child support from Dukes. In all four cases, the court found Dukes was the father, meaning he has at least five children by four women. Two of those women were pregnant at the same time, giving birth in 2003 within eight days of each other.

 

Gilbert met Dukes when she was a student in 2003 at the University of South Florida. She filed for child support in March 2004 after the couple's first child was born. He was ordered to pay $222.26 a month.

 

During her second pregnancy, she sought and won a yearlong restraining order against him. A judge ordered him to attend a certified batterers' intervention program and substance abuse evaluation.

 

She noticed little improvement in his behavior, she said.

 

After the child was born, Dukes proposed. The couple married Feb. 27, 2006. They have a 3-year-old son and a daughter nearly 2.

 

Life only got more frustrating after the marriage, she said.

 

"We went to the courthouse in Brandon and got married and things have gone downhill ever since," she said. "My life has been turned upside down since I've been dealing with him."

 

Gilbert once filed for divorce but changed her mind. Now, she says she plans to file for divorce again.

 

On April 30, Gilbert was in her classroom at Shields Middle School when she heard a banging on the door. Her students were at lunch. Another teacher answered the door.

 

"It was Elijah (my husband) coming toward me at my desk stating he was going to beat my a-- and kill me," Gilbert wrote in her request for a restraining order.

 

Dukes later left the room and walked through the school's halls, she wrote. Gilbert and her co-worker ran to the school's front office.

 

"I told them to get the deputy because he was acting out of his mind," she said in an interview. "I told them, 'Just have him escorted off. I don't want him to go to jail. Just make him leave.'"

 

Deputy Theresa Montaldo tried to calm him down. When principal Tom Scott arrived, he admonished Dukes, Gilbert said.

 

Dukes was ordered to leave campus.

 

"Estranged wife is employee," the trespass warning reads. "He came to see her - very irate."

 

Dukes, who grew up in Sulphur Springs, saw his father convicted of second-degree murder when he was 11. Elijah Dukes Sr. received a 20-year prison sentence for shooting a man who sold his wife $100 worth of fake crack cocaine.

 

Dukes, who makes the major-league minimum $380,000, is considered one of the best all-around athletes on the Rays, with a mix of speed and power that some scouts predict could make him one of the game's top players. He made the jump to the majors this season and earned some playing time, then took over as the starting centerfielder when Rocco Baldelli was injured last week.

 

Before he moved up to the major leagues, Dukes had on-field confrontations last season with a coach and a teammate while with Devil Rays' Triple-A affiliate Durham. He was suspended for 30 games.

 

Dukes was charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession during a traffic stop on Jan. 15. A hearing is scheduled for June 4.

 

"He's trying to act like he's made a change," Gilbert said. "He's made no changes. He's gotten worse. He says that since he plays baseball, 'No one can f--- with me.'"

 

Dukes' agent, Scott Pucino, questioned Gilbert's motives in making allegations against the athlete.

 

"I don't know those to be true," Pucino said. "I do know I think she is clearly using the media to leverage this divorce proceeding. There's money involved, and unfortunately she's going to the media."

 

But Pucino and the Devil Rays both says Dukes' behavior has improved.

 

"He has made a lot of strides, but obviously this is something that certainly requires our attention," Friedman, of the Rays, said.

 

Times researchers Cathy Wos and John Martin and staff writers Marc Topkin and Kevin Graham contributed to this report.

 

Fast Facts:

 

Elijah Dukes' children

 

Date of birth Mother Gender

 

Nov. 25, 2003 NiShea Gilbert boy

 

Dec. 3, 2003 Carla Bryant girl

 

June 7, 2004 Shantell Mitchell boy

 

June 16, 2005 NiShea Gilbert girl

 

July 19, 2006 Porcia Daniels girl

 

www.sptimes.com/2007/05/2...__He.shtml

 

Also doesn't seem to want to really take responsibility for his actions.

 

By Chris Kline

April 25, 2006 Print this article

 

Editor's note: Baseball America recently ran a story on Devil Rays outfielder Elijah Dukes that delved into his troubled background and whether he'd be able to put his past behind him. We heard that Dukes wasn't happy with one passage from the story that talked about him attending four high schools in four years prior to being a third-round pick in 2002 out of Hillsborough High in Tampa.

 

Because Dukes is just down the street from Baseball America HQ at Triple-A Durham this season, we had the opportunity to talk to him about the story and give him a chance to fully discuss his perspective on it. So Chris Kline, who wrote the original Dukes feature, interviewed him before a recent home game:

 

Kline: So I understand you were saying that you getting kicked out of one high school simply isn't true, but in all my research, I came to the conclusion that you had indeed been expelled. You said before if we wanted the truth about you to come to the horse's mouth, so what is the truth?

 

Elijah Dukes: I got suspended probably five times (through high school) and all that stuff comes from goofing off--never fighting--goofing off.

 

Kline: But in my research, I found that there was an expulsion.

 

Dukes: See, what happened was, a teacher said I hit him, but then they found out I didn't hit him because everybody wrote a letter saying, "Hey, this guy didn't do nothing. The teacher bumped into Elijah, you know?" So it was just people taking the teacher's word over the student's word. They went ahead and did a whole investigation and found out I didn't do it. I had to make up four classes in two weeks (after being suspended) and I passed all of them and finally ended up graduating.

 

But yeah, the teacher was trying to say that I pushed him, but everyone knew he bumped into me and it started this whole mess. They had to interview a ton of students, investigated it and found out I didn't do anything. They apologized for it and the teacher ended up quitting, but I kind of had to go through the wringer with everything.

 

You said I got kicked out of every school and when I read that, I couldn't believe it because I never got kicked out. If anything, it was other schools recruiting me to go there. That's why I went to four schools in four years. They want the best guys at their schools and they do all kinds of things to get coaches to get you there.

 

Kline: It kind of seems like all of this stuff in your background seems to have gotten a little overblown--like it's become bigger than you.

 

Dukes: I think it definitely has and I want people to know what I'm all about because this whole image thing has gotten out of hand. It's probably always going to be there, though, and I'm just trying to go out, play baseball and get to the next level and stay there for a long time...

 

www.baseballamerica.com/t...61133.html

 

And,

 

Suspended Dukes threatening to quit

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer

Published August 2, 2006

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

ST. PETERSBURG - Troubled prospect Elijah Dukes was suspended indefinitely by the Devil Rays on Tuesday and responded by telling Baseball America he was questioning whether he would continue to play baseball.

 

"I have no idea when or if I'll be back," Dukes told the magazine. "I packed up all my stuff and I'm headed home. To be honest, I don't even know about baseball anymore. Everything is just wearing on me, and this year has just been so frustrating. I'm trying to keep my nose clean and keep to myself, but things just keep getting turned around. I'm tired of it."

 

Dukes, 22, was to be reinstated Tuesday from a five-game suspension by the International League, but the Rays extended the suspension as they review the details of his latest incident, when he was ejected from a July 25 game and refused to leave the dugout.

 

"It's currently under review by the front office," Rays farm director Mitch Lukevics said. "We haven't come to any conclusions yet."

 

The extent of the additional discipline will be based on the accumulation of disciplinary issues Dukes has been involved in and conceivably could last the rest of the season.

 

Dukes, an outfielder for Triple-A Durham, has been suspended at least twice by the Rays (and benched another time) and once by the International League this season and has been ejected from two games. He has had an altercation with coach Richie Hebner in the Bulls clubhouse, a fight with teammate Ryan Knox in a hotel lobby (which led to a 15-game suspension) and a dugout incident with Bulls manager John Tamargo.

 

He also was quoted as making some of the disrespectful comments about the Rays and Bulls organizations last week in the controversial USA Today article that drew a strong rebuke from Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman and manager Joe Maddon, including the line about how big-leaguers "shower in Evian" while the Durham players "use sewer water."

 

Dukes told Baseball America on Tuesday that he was misquoted in the article and has been misrepresented as the reason why fellow top prospects Delmon Young (who was suspended 50 games after throwing a bat at an umpire) and B.J. Upton (who was arrested in June on a DWI charge) got into trouble.

 

"It's all the same thing," Dukes said. "They've all been saying that I'm a bad influence on those two guys for two years. I didn't room with Delmon this year (he did at Double-A Montgomery in 2005), but still I'm the bad apple.

 

"I didn't tell Delmon to throw his bat at that umpire. I didn't tell B.J. to go driving his car after he had some drinks. I don't even hang out with those guys. It was always just me in my apartment after games or whatever."

 

Dukes had a troubled childhood in Tampa and numerous off-field legal issues, but he was a third-round draft pick by the Rays in 2002 and signed with them rather than pursue a college football career.

 

Though he might have been speaking out of frustration, Dukes sounded Tuesday as if he may have regretted his decision.

 

"I just don't know about baseball anymore," he said. "All this stuff keeps following me and now this. I'm tired of it. I don't know if I'm coming back or what. I don't know about the (Arizona) Fall League. I don't know about anything other than I'm going home.

 

"I'm not saying I should have tried to get to the NFL, but maybe I should have done something else."

 

Rays officials said Dukes, who is hitting .293 with 10 homers and 50 RBIs in 80 games at Durham, has not said anything to them about quitting baseball.

 

www.sptimes.com/2006/08/0...hrea.shtml

[dadofandrew]

Makes Jose C look like a choir boy.

 

He'll be out of the game in a couple years. Bombs tend to explode.

[Crewin06]

So does anyone feel sorry for Gilbert at all?

 

I think she should be locked up too or at least lose her job.

 

She has two kids with him. She files two restraining orders THEN marries him. Then files anoter restraining order.

 

Hey I ain't sayin she's a gold digger, but she ain't messin with no broke (expletive)

[brettac1]

If you were able to acquire a guy like him for a low price, you'd have to be crazier than him to turn it down. People in professional sports think they can fix anyone, so he'll always get a shot. If he was able to go one year without an incident, most people would forget it ever happened, and he could resume being an amazing baseball player like he is going to become.

 

I would say this is sort of like Milton Bradley's situation, except there's no media glare in Tampa like there was in LA for Bradley. If Dukes can't stay out of the headlines there, he probably can't anywhere. I guess I just hope the best for him.

[danzig6767]

I guess I just hope the best for him.

 

Not me,he seems like a big time prick.I wish the best for good people who have bad things happen to them,but try hard to better themselves.This guy just seems like a baby making machine that likes to threaten woman,what a tough guy.

 

To be honest,unless some his baseball income actually goes to support all the kids he helped create,i wish the worst for him in his career.

[Big Reed]

I prefer to look at his on the field problems.

 

is he better than Hall in center? No.

 

Does he have a higher celing than hart? no.

 

is he a better option than jenkins? no

 

Do the brewers have a dh? no.

 

Do the brewers already have too many outfielders on their major league team? yes.

 

Despite the fact the brewers may be able to acquire him at a rock bottom price, the brewers really have no need for him. the brewers would be better served to try to acquire relief pitchers Ardsma and /or MAc Donald from the White Sox..

 

if you were talking about Young, Baldelli or Crawford, I'd be interested. but i just don't see Dukes being a better starting option than what we already have. and no way would I acquire Dukes to be a bench player.

[patrickgpe]

by all accounts this is a very close team and i wouldn't want to ruin that with someone like dukes.

[Big Reed]

I' m really unsure what Dukes best outfield position would be. he was playing Cf because of baldelli's injury. I' m not certain if that's his best position.

 

And while we think the tampa bay D rays may want to unload him cheap, i haven't seen the rays being willing to trade away any of their prospects very cheap. i keep hearing rumors about a lot of d ray players being available. but the DRay GM sure has a mighty slow trigger in making any trades.

 

it's almost like he has a house for sale but refuses to come down in his asking price.

[UWRyan428]

I agree with every poster except for the gent who believes that he wouldn't have the highest ceiling of any outfielder on the team. IF he were to reach his vast potential, he could be a HOF talent. He's young, built like a linebacker, and has the speed of a wide receiver. And given what the Reds have been able to do with Josh Hamilton (another OF prospect from that ill-fated org.), he could be a worthwhile reclamation project. I always thought the best way to describe him was, "The guy could be Albert Belle...with speed!" Funny on so many levels...

[brettac1]

Josh Hamilton (another OF prospect from that ill-fated org.)

 

That's a perfect example. If Dukes kept his nose clean for one year, all of a sudden everyone would love him like they do Hamilton. Hamilton was a total trainwreck, but now he's beloved for whatever reason. And Dukes will be a better player than Hamilton.

[Big Reed]

Ok, I'll ask again.

 

Does Dukes have a higher ceiling than Hart ? I don't think so.Would the Brewers rather have Dukes playing Cf over Hall in the net 3 years? Would the brewers actually acquire Dukes and shift hall out of CF? I highly doubt it. Would the Brewers start Dukes over Jenkins in the next 3 years? maybe against lefties.

 

the problem that i see in acquiring Dukes is that he would be a bench warmer for probably at least the next two years for the Brewers. I do not see the brewers starting Dukes over Jenkins, Hart or Hall. Based on his minor league numbers, Dukes probably does have a higher ceiling than jenkins and hall. however, high ceiling guys do not replace guys that are coming off career years like Hall or guys that are brewer fan favorites like Jenkins.

 

And with Dukes' temper, I don't think it would be a very good idea to trade for him with the knowledge that he would be sitting on the brewers bench for the next two years. I'm sorry, but I don't see the brewers trading Jenkins, Hall or Hart any time soon. and I believe a guy like Dukes would become frustrated very easily if he were limited to playing in less than 80 games a year as a back-up.

[danzig6767]

That's a perfect example. If Dukes kept his nose clean for one year, all of a sudden everyone would love him like they do Hamilton. Hamilton was a total trainwreck, but now he's beloved for whatever reason. And Dukes will be a better player than Hamilton.

 

Hamilton had a drug problem,he wasn't going around getting charged with domestic battery and threatening woman all over the place.I have no problem with giving guys second chances that have a problem with drugs or booze,but guys who go around hitting and/or terrorizing woman via threats are nothing more than low life scumbags in my view.

 

If the Brewers aquired a loser like Dukes i certainly wouldn't stop being a fan of the team,but i wouldn't cheer for him as a person.I can't respect men who think they are tough by hitting or intimidating females.

[DHonks]

That's a perfect example. If Dukes kept his nose clean for one year, all of a sudden everyone would love him like they do Hamilton. Hamilton was a total trainwreck, but now he's beloved for whatever reason. And Dukes will be a better player than Hamilton.

 

except Brett, I was told by his trainer that he'll likely be out of the game within a few years or at least DHing only because he has no cartilage in one knee

[mothershipconnection]

I don't know if Hamilton and Dukes are good comps. Hamilton was a decent kid who got into drugs and was a waste of space for a few years. Dukes, on the other hand, has reportedly had trouble following close behind him his whole life. At least Hamilton had a period you could point to and say "if he can just go back to this".

[brettac1]

If the Brewers aquired a loser like Dukes i certainly wouldn't stop being a fan of the team,but i wouldn't cheer for him as a person.I can't respect men who think they are tough by hitting or intimidating females.

 

I'm not advocating acquiring him, by any means. I just think he should have a chance to have his side of the story come out on this a little before he is branded as a terrible human being (as opposed to just being a screw-up).

 

DHonks said earlier in the thread that he is a nice guy and a good teammate, I just say let's hear more facts.

[Big Reed]

this is where I try to focus on his on the field accomplishments rather than his off field problems.

 

if the Brewers did acquire Dukes, where would he play? and what do you do with the guy he replaces? I have a hard time believing the brewers would start Dukes over Hall or Jenkins this year. Looking at Dukes' and Harts' minor league stats, I would say their ceiling is about the same. By acquiring Dukes, which current starting brewer outfielder would you trade?

 

I could see Dukes as a potential future replacement for Jenkins. but timing wise, I think I would look to make this trade next year or the year after. I wouldn't want to add Dukes to our current outfield overload. I think he might be a nice addition after we cleared away some of the mediocre talent we currently have as in gross, nix, gwynn, and mench.

 

looking at Tampa bay's roster and prospects, i have to believe they'd want a pitcher, first baseman, or catcher in return. looking at the brewers' minor league players, i would think the best match would be one of our pitchers.

[DHonks]

DHonks said earlier in the thread that he is a nice guy and a good teammate, I just say let's hear more facts.

 

yes, and if we get Colby in here, I'm fairly sure he'll say he's heard similar things from his sources. In fact, several reporters in the AFL said they'd heard good things about him, too.

 

The problem with Dukes is that he'd likely have more incidents in Milwaukee than Charles Barkley and Chili Davis, combined.