Former Reds' World Series champion lands exciting new role with the Mets

Mariano Duncan spent four year in a Cincinnati Reds uniform and was part of the 1990 wire-to-wire championship team. The former All-Star, who began a coaching career shortly after retiring in 1997, was just hired by the New York Mets to be part of Andy Green's staff in Queens.

Duncan's playing career began with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1985. His slick fielding up the middle of the infield and his blazing fast speed on the basepaths garnered a lot of attention and earned him a third-place finish in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Vince Coleman and former Reds' pitcher Tom Browning.

Duncan was traded to Cincinnati in 1989 in exchange for Kal Daniels and Lenny Harris. He became Barry Larkin's double-play partner, and had his best season in the big leagues in 1990, hitting .306 with 22 doubles, 11 triples, 10 home runs, and 55 RBI.

Duncan was a standout performer during the Reds' NLCS victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, including his three-run homer in Game 3 that broke a 2-2 tie and propelled Cincinnati to a 6-3 victory, giving the Redlegs a 2-1 series lead over the Buccos.

He signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1992, but returned to the Reds midway through the 1995 season after being claimed off waivers. Duncan retired in 1997 having spent 12 years in the big leagues that included stops with five different organizations and a trip to the All-Star Game in 1994.

Duncan began coaching for the Dodgers' organization in 2003, and was elevated to the role of hitting coach in 2006. He joined the Chicago Cubs as a minor-league coach in 2011, and has been part of the Mets' organization since 2019. His new role with the big-league club is still undetermined, but Duncan is expected to be working with the position players in various facets of the game.

Mets add former Reds' postseason hero Mariano Duncan while Cincy searches to fill vacancies

It's unknown if Duncan was in the running to replace former assistant hitting coach Will Remillard, but the job itself is still vacant. Director of hitting Chris Valaika will be back in 2027, but Remillard was relieved of his duties.

Cincinnati still has another vacancy on the coaching staff as well. The Reds have yet to hire a new pitching coach to replace the departed Derek Johnson. There've been whispers and rumblings since the 2026 season ended, but only Oscar Marin and Matt Tracy are known to have interviewed.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow