Taylor Dugas

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. and played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League. In 2011, Dugas' junior year, he was named to the All-SEC second team and the SEC's All-Defensive Team.

The Chicago Cubs selected Dugas in the eighth round, with the 249th overall selection, of the 2011 MLB draft. both for the opportunity to graduate, win with the Crimson Tide, and to set career offensive records. As a senior, Dugas led the Crimson Tide with a .343 batting average. After his senior season, Dugas was named to the All-SEC first team and the All-Defensive team.

Professional career The New York Yankees selected Dugas in the eighth round, with the 277th overall selection, of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft. The Yankees promoted Dugas to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Triple-A International League in June. Overall, he batted .299/.399/.390 with one home run, 40 RBI, and seven stolen bases in 111 games.

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. He was optioned back to the minor leagues on July 3 without appearing in a major league game. Dugas was designated for assignment by the Yankees on July 9. 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. In August 2023, Dugas was hired as an assistant coach for the Southeastern Louisiana Lions baseball team, joining Bobby Barbier's new staff.

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. 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.