#TBT: Adam Duvall

Today's #TBT features Adam Duvall. The Louisville native starred at the University of Louisville, homered in his first at-bat at Louisville Slugger Field and made the 2016 NL All-Star team.

Adam Duvall was a household name in the Louisville area long before he was a player in the Cincinnati Reds organization. The All-Star outfielder was born and raised in Louisville, attending Butler High School. Duvall's path to becoming one of the game's premier left fielders did not come without obstacles, however.
During his junior year at Butler, Duvall suffered a cracked vertebra while making a diving catch and was forced to miss his entire senior season. He would go on to play college baseball at both Western Kentucky University and Chipola Junior College (Marianna, Fla.) before landing at the University of Louisville in 2009. In his junior season at Louisville, Duvall batted .328 with 11 home runs and 51 RBI and started all 65 games for the Cards.
Duvall was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 11th round of the 2010 MLB draft. He made his professional debut with the Short-Season A Salem-Keizer Volcanoes on June 23, 2010. The righty's power came to full display in his third professional season, when he led all Class-A players with 30 home runs for the San Jose Giants in 2012. Duvall's 2012 season was even more impressive considering he lost 20 pounds during the previous offseason. Tests confirmed that Duvall had Type 1 diabetes, which he has since combated by wearing an insulin pump during games.
He made his major league debut with San Francisco on June 26, 2014 against his future club, the Cincinnati Reds. In the bottom of the seventh, in his third career at-bat, Duvall homered off Cincinnati starting pitcher Mike Leake to supply the Giants' only run in a 3-1 Reds victory. Duvall's home run off Leake provided to be an interesting foreshadowing of things to come, as the pair were traded for one another a year later.
Duvall came to Cincinnati along with right-handed pitching prospect Keury Mella from San Francisco in exchange for right-handed starter Mike Leake right before the 2015 trade deadline. The trade provided the Reds with two future pieces, and also a homecoming for a native of Louisville. After coming over in the trade, Duvall made his Louisville Bats debut on August 2 against Toledo, going 2-for-6 with a home run in his first at-bat at Louisville Slugger Field.
While the hometown hero appeared in just 25 games for Triple-A Louisville, Duvall has become a star outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds. In his first full season at the big league level in 2016, Duvall hit .241 with 33 home runs and 103 RBI. Last season, he followed up his strong rookie campaign with a 31 homer, 99 RBI season in 2017. He also represented Cincinnati in the 2016 Major League Home Run Derby.
Heading into 2018, Duvall has a chance to become the first Reds player with three straight 30-homer seasons since Jay Bruce did it from 2011-13. The 29-year-old Louisville native continues to strengthen his ties to the city, returning to Louisville for Reds Caravan for the second straight winter.