{{short description|American baseball player (born 1989)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2014}} {{Infobox college coach | name = Taylor Dugas | image = | alt = | caption = | current_title = Recruiting Coordinator | current_team = Southeastern Louisiana | current_conference = Southland | current_record = | contract = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1989|12|15}} | birth_place = Lafayette, Louisiana | death_date = | death_place = | player_years1 = 2009–2012 | player_team1 = Alabama | player_years2 = 2012 | player_team2 = Staten Island Yankees | player_years3 = 2013 | player_team3 = Charleston RiverDogs | player_years4 = 2013 | player_team4 = Tampa Yankees | player_years5 = 2014–2015 | player_team5 = Trenton Thunder | player_years6 = 2014–2015 | player_team6 = Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders | player_positions = Outfielder | coach_years1 = 2017–2020 | coach_team1 = Northwestern State (H/OF) | coach_years2 = 2021–2022 | coach_team2 = UT Arlington (H/RC) | coach_years3 = 2024–present | coach_team3 = Southeastern Louisiana (RC) | overall_record = | tournament_record = | championships = | awards = | coaching_records = }}
'''Taylor Brooks Dugas''' (born December 15, 1989) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and assistant baseball coach at Southeastern Louisiana University. Prior to playing professionally, Dugas played college baseball for the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he set numerous offensive records. Dugas was promoted to the major leagues by the New York Yankees but did not appear in a major league game, making him a phantom ballplayer.
==Amateur career== After beginning youth baseball at the age of five, Dugas joined travel teams that visited Florida and Texas.<ref name=consistency/> He attended Teurlings Catholic High School in Lafayette, Louisiana.<ref name=katc/> Playing for the school's baseball team, Dugas had a .640 batting average with 10 home runs in his senior year.<ref name=ondeck/> He ended his high school career with a .519 batting average.<ref name=consistency/> However, he was not chosen in the 2008 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft. Though he hoped to attend Louisiana State University (LSU) to play college baseball for the LSU Tigers baseball team, they did not offer him a scholarship, only offering him the opportunity to play as a walk-on.<ref name=ondeck>{{cite web|author=Don Kausler Jr. |url=https://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/06/former_tide_star_taylor_dugas.html |title=Former Tide star Taylor Dugas talks it up as he steps into draft's on-deck circle |publisher=AL.com |date=June 5, 2012 |accessdate=June 27, 2014}}</ref><ref name=nj/> He received a scholarship offer from the University of Alabama, which he accepted.<ref name=nj/>
Playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team, Dugas batted .352 as a freshman and was named to the Freshmen All-American team.<ref name=nj/> In 2010, his sophomore season, Dugas had a .395 batting average, and led the Southeastern Conference (SEC) with a .525 on-base percentage and 59 walks. ''Baseball America'' named him a first-team All-American, while the American Baseball Coaches Association honored him as a second team All-American. He was also named to the All-SEC first team. After the season, Dugas was invited to try out for the United States national collegiate baseball team,<ref>{{cite web|last=Shryock |first=John |url=https://www.wsfa.com/story/12744462/uas-taylor-dugas-headed-to-collegiate-national-team-trial |title=UA's Taylor Dugas headed to Collegiate National Team Trial - WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL |publisher=WSFA.com |date=July 1, 2010 |accessdate=June 27, 2014}}</ref> and played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://pointstreak.com/baseball/player.html?playerid=70392&seasonid=239 |title=#8 Taylor Dugas - Profile |publisher=pointstreak.com |date= |accessdate=May 6, 2020}}</ref> In 2011, Dugas' junior year, he was named to the All-SEC second team and the SEC's All-Defensive Team.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20110525/news/110529747 |title=Taylor Dugas is second team All-SEC |publisher=TuscaloosaNews.com |date=May 25, 2011 |accessdate=June 27, 2014}}</ref>
The Chicago Cubs selected Dugas in the eighth round, with the 249th overall selection, of the 2011 MLB draft.<ref name=fulfill/> Though the Cubs offered Dugas a $300,000 signing bonus, Dugas opted not to sign, instead returning to the Crimson Tide for his senior year,<ref name=nj/><ref name=fulfill>{{cite web|author=Don Kausler Jr. |url=https://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/06/yankees_fulfill_taylor_dugas_d.html |title=Yankees fulfill Taylor Dugas' dream by drafting former Tide star |publisher=AL.com |date=June 5, 2012 |accessdate=June 27, 2014}}</ref> both for the opportunity to graduate, win with the Crimson Tide, and to set career offensive records.<ref name=consistency>{{cite web|url=http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20120410/NEWS/120419994 |title=Dugas is Alabama baseball's Mr. Consistency |publisher=TuscaloosaNews.com |date=April 10, 2012 |accessdate=June 27, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cdispatch.com/sports/article.asp?aid=16900&TRID=1&TID= |title=Alabama's Dugas becomes school's all-time leader - The Dispatch |publisher=Cdispatch.com |date=May 7, 2012 |accessdate=June 27, 2014}}</ref> As a senior, Dugas led the Crimson Tide with a .343 batting average.<ref name=katc/> He set Crimson Tide career records with 334 hits, 235 singles, 67 doubles, and 18 triples.<ref name=ondeck/><ref name=nj/><ref name=drafted>{{cite web|author=Don Kausler Jr. |url=https://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/06/former_alabama_star_taylor_dug.html |title=Former Alabama star Taylor Dugas drafted in the eighth round by Yankees |publisher=AL.com |date=June 5, 2012 |accessdate=June 27, 2014}}</ref> After his senior season, Dugas was named to the All-SEC first team and the All-Defensive team.<ref name=katc>{{cite web |url=http://www.katc.com/news/teurlings-grad-taylor-dugas-garners-multiple-all-sec-honors/ |title=Teurlings Grad Taylor Dugas Garners Multiple All-SEC Honors | KATC.com | Acadiana-Lafayette, Louisiana |publisher=KATC.com |date=May 29, 2012 |accessdate=June 27, 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20140627145010/http://www.katc.com/news/teurlings-grad-taylor-dugas-garners-multiple-all-sec-honors/ |archivedate=June 27, 2014 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
==Professional career== The New York Yankees selected Dugas in the eighth round, with the 277th overall selection, of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft.<ref name=fulfill/><ref name=drafted/> He signed with the Yankees and began his professional career with the Staten Island Yankees of the Low-A New York–Penn League.<ref name=debut/> He had a .306 average with Staten Island, and was named to the New York-Penn League All-Star Game.<ref name=nj/> Dugas spent the 2013 season with the Charleston RiverDogs of the Single-A South Atlantic League and the Tampa Yankees of the High-A Florida State League. Between the two levels, he batted .285 and had 64 walks.<ref name=nj/>
In 2014, Dugas began the season with the Trenton Thunder of the Double-A Eastern League.<ref name=nj>{{cite web|author=Paul Franklin/The Times of Trenton |url=https://www.nj.com/thunder/index.ssf/2014/04/dugas_becoming_a_big_hit_helps.html |title=Dugas becoming a big hit, helps Trenton Thunder beat Erie SeaWolves, 5-3 |publisher=NJ.com |date=April 18, 2014 |accessdate=June 27, 2014}}</ref> The Yankees promoted Dugas to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Triple-A International League in June.<ref>{{cite web|author=Paul Franklin/The Times of Trenton |url=https://www.nj.com/times-sports/index.ssf/2014/06/thunder_finally_end_losing_str.html |title=Thunder finally end losing streak, beat New Hampshire Fisher Cats |publisher=NJ.com |date=June 20, 2014 |accessdate=June 27, 2014}}</ref> Overall, he batted .299/.399/.390 with one home run, 40 RBI, and seven stolen bases in 111 games.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://m.bbref.com/m?p=XXminorsXXplayer.cgiQQid=dugas-000tay&t=1|title=Taylor Dugas - m.bbref.com|work=bbref.com|accessdate=July 3, 2015}}</ref>
Dugas split the 2015 season with Trenton and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, before being promoted to the major leagues on July 1, after an injury to Carlos Beltrán.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc3340.com/story/29455327/former-tide-star-taylor-dugas-called-up-by-ny-yankees|title=Former Tide star Taylor Dugas called up by NY Yankees|author=Stu McCann|date=July 1, 2015|work=abc3340.com|accessdate=July 3, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2015/07/yankees_outfielder_taylor_dugas_reacts_to_surprisi.html|title=Yankees' outfielder Taylor Dugas reacts to shocking big league call-up|work=NJ.com|date=July 2, 2015|accessdate=July 3, 2015}}</ref> He was optioned back to the minor leagues on July 3 without appearing in a major league game.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/yankees/2015/07/the_benefits_to_spending_even_1_day_on_an_mlb_rost.html |title=The benefits to spending even 1 day on an MLB roster |publisher=nj.com |date=2015-07-03 |accessdate=2022-11-19}}</ref> Dugas was designated for assignment by the Yankees on July 9.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2015/07/09/pregame-notes-figueroa-pirela-dugas-dfa/ |title=USA TODAY - Today's Breaking News, US & World News |publisher=Yankees.lhblogs.com |date= |accessdate=2022-11-19}}</ref> Dugas was released by the Yankees in April 2016, did not play professional baseball afterwards. Dugas' time on an MLB active roster, without ever appearing in an MLB game, makes him a phantom ballplayer.
==Coaching career== Northwestern State University hired Dugas as an assistant coach for the Northwestern State Demons baseball team in August 2016. In December 2020, Dugas accepted the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator job at UT-Arlington.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nsudemons.com/news/2016/8/12/demon-baseball-demons-add-taylor-dugas-to-coaching-staff.aspx|title=Demons add Taylor Dugas to coaching staff|website=Northwestern State University Athletics|accessdate=April 25, 2019}}</ref> In August 2023, Dugas was hired as an assistant coach for the Southeastern Louisiana Lions baseball team, joining Bobby Barbier's new staff.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lionsports.net/news/2023/8/11/baseball-barbier-completes-inaugural-coaching-staff.aspx|title=Barbier Completes Inaugural Coaching Staff|website=lionsports.net|date=August 11, 2023|access-date=July 12, 2024}}</ref>
==Personal life== The Dugas family are friends with Ron Guidry, a Lafayette native who played for the Yankees. Dugas grew up as a Yankees fan.<ref name=fulfill/><ref name=debut>{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/taylor-dugas-family-friend-yankees-legend-ron-guidry-debut-staten-island-yanks-article-1.1099630 |title=Taylor Dugas, family friend of Yankees legend Ron Guidry, makes debut with Staten Island Yanks |publisher=NY Daily News |date=June 21, 2012 |accessdate=June 27, 2014}}</ref> His older brother, Tyler, was an All-State high school player and played college baseball at McNeese State University. He also has an older sister, Tiffany.<ref name=consistency/>
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== {{baseballstats| brm=dugas-000tay}} *[https://rolltide.com/sports/baseball/roster/taylor-dugas/193 Alabama Crimson Tide bio] *[https://nsudemons.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/taylor-dugas/1669 Northwestern State Demons profile] *[https://utamavs.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/taylor-dugas/2413 UT Arlington Mavericks profile] *[https://lionsports.net/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/taylor-dugas/3477 Southeastern Louisiana Lions profile]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dugas, Taylor}} Category:1989 births Category:Living people Category:Baseball players from Lafayette, Louisiana Category:Baseball outfielders Category:All-American college baseball players Category:Alabama Crimson Tide baseball players Category:Harwich Mariners players Category:Staten Island Yankees players Category:Charleston RiverDogs players Category:Tampa Yankees players Category:Trenton Thunder players Category:Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Category:Northwestern State Demons baseball coaches Category:UT Arlington Mavericks baseball coaches Category:Southeastern Louisiana Lions baseball coaches Category:Minor league baseball players