Home » Mets Birthdays » Happy Birthday Duke Carmel
April 23, 2009 Mets Birthdays Joe Janish

Happy Birthday Duke Carmel

Duke Carmel of the 1963 MetsDuke Carmel is neither a candy bar nor a nemesis of cartoon superhero “Underdog”. In actuality, New York native Leon James “Duke” Carmel was a Major League OF/1B who trudged through 47 games for the Mets in 1963. He also is one of the rare ballplayers to have played for both the Mets and the Yankees (strangely enough, the Yanks stole him a from the Mets in the Rule 5 draft in November 1964). Duke was born on April 23, 1937 — happy birthday, Duke!

Other former Mets born on this day include Hall of Famer Warren Spahn (1921), singles hitter Jason Tyner (1977), and flamethrowing catcher-turned-reliever Henry Owens (1979).

Tags: , , , ,

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
Related Articles