Paul Lo Duca

Lore & Background

Lo Duca was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 25th round of the 1993 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut with the Dodgers and was traded to the Florida Marlins at the 2004 trading deadline along with Juan Encarnación and Guillermo Mota for Hee-seop Choi, Brad Penny, and minor league prospect Bill Murphy. He played for the Marlins from 2004 to 2006 before being traded to the Mets. He later returned to the Marlins on a minor league contract in August 2008.

Reader's Guide

Lo Duca was known primarily as a contact hitter, not a defensive specialist. He typically batted near the top of the order (often leadoff or second) for the Marlins, not in the middle of the order. The Marlins had already won the World Series in 1997 and 2003 before his tenure, so his arrival did not coincide with a shift from expansion team to contender.

Did You Know?

• Lo Duca set school records at Arizona State University with a .446 batting average and 129 hits in 1993.
• He was named to four All-Star Games during his MLB career.
• In 2003, Lo Duca had a 25-game hitting streak, the second longest in Dodgers history.
• He was named in the Mitchell Report in connection with human growth hormone use and later acknowledged using PEDs in a 2013 tweet.
• In February 2025, the New York Post reported that Lo Duca had been in a 'bad accident' resulting in 'multiple fractures.'