Duplantier tells story behind his debut on Stack'd

Duplantier tells story behind his debut on Stack'd

May 4th, 2020

When came up through the Minor League system, D-backs officials talked about not only his physical talent, but also his cerebral approach on the mound.

Duplantier’s smarts as well as his engaging personality and sense of humor were on full display when he appeared on “Stack’d,” an original series on MLB’s YouTube channel, and fans can see for themselves right now.

The 25-year-old Duplantier made his big league debut on April 1 last year after the D-backs recalled him from Triple-A Reno.

D-backs farm director Mike Bell called Duplantier, the D-backs' No. 13 prospect, the night before with the news that he was likely headed to San Diego to join the D-backs on their season-opening road trip. Duplantier had just sat down to play blackjack at a Reno casino when Bell called.

Stepping away to take the call, Duplantier was told he could let his parents know but no one else. After he didn’t get an immediate response from the dealer on his request to cash out, Duplantier just left his chips at the table, left to pack and called his parents.

Not even that went smoothly for him.

“I tried to call my dad, and he didn’t answer the phone,” Duplantier said after he arrived in San Diego. “So, I called my mom and I thought I was just going to be real calm, ‘Hey mom, go get dad, put him on the speakerphone.’ And as soon as I heard my mom’s voice, I just started breaking down in tears. ‘Momma, momma, you’ve got to get dad!’ And she thought something terrible had happened, so she started freaking out. They finally got on the speakerphone, and I got to tell them and it was a real mess for the next five minutes.”

During “Stack’d,” Duplantier revealed his favorite movie (hint, it involves basketball) and talks about his love of Mario Kart and Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Already during this break in baseball, Duplantier has shown himself to be an excellent videogame player with his performance in the Players League, and now he’s added stacking to his list of skills.

Is he a better stacker or pitcher?

“Hopefully, a better pitcher,” Duplantier said.