Royals' Duffy 'excited to erase and re-record' after tumultuous 2017
Danny Duffy is glad 2017 is over and he's looking forward to a more productive 2018.
The Kansas City Royals left-hander went through a number of ups and downs last year. He was signed to a five-year, $65-million contract and was named an Opening Day starter, but also battled injuries, underwent elbow surgery, dealt with wild fires near his home in California, and was arrested on a DUI charge in August (he later pleaded guilty).
Duffy hopes to put the tumultuous year behind him and use his experiences to foster a more positive upbringing for his young Royals teammates.
"Everybody has flaws. Everybody had things happen in their life they wish didn't," Duffy said, according to ESPN. "Once I hit the bottom floor, there was no way to go but up. I'm excited to erase and re-record.
"What I put myself through in regards to the thing that happened in August last year, I don't want to see any of these kids put anybody else's life in danger like I did. I'm looking forward to really setting out to being the last Royal to have that happened to. That's my ultimate goal."
While discussing his turbulent 2017, the 29-year-old reflected on his earlier years in the Royals organization, the lack of leadership he experienced when he first came up, and how he plans to avoid treating younger players similarly.
"We had an extreme lack of leadership from the players' standpoint when I was younger," Duffy said. "I'm not afraid to say that. I got worn out by six dudes that were in the corner of the clubhouse that I had more time than them combined in the big leagues.
"Hindsight is 20-20. You wish you'd popped one of them in the mouth, seriously. I should have punched one in the throat when I had the opportunity because, looking back, that's not right," he added. "I'm not going to name these guys' names as much as I'd like to. They're probably out playing slow-pitch softball right now. But I tell you what, everything comes around. We now have dudes in the clubhouse that can lead by example and try to lead the right way."
Duffy made 24 starts for the Royals last season, finishing with a 9-10 record and respectable 3.81 ERA and 1.26 WHIP.