Zach Duke Stats & Scouting Report

IP	1360
ERA	4.308
WHIP	1.451
BB/9	2.773
SO/9	5.651

Full name Zachary Thomas Duke
Born 04/19/1983 in Clifton, TX
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 210 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Midway
Debut 07/02/2005
Drafted in the 20th round (594th overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2001.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

While the Pirates don't regret drafting John Van Benschoten with their first-round pick in 2001, it now looks like they may have found an even better prospect 19 rounds later. Duke, who grew up in Waco, Texas, idolizing fellow Midway High product Casey Fossum, signed too late to debut that season but immediately opened eyes with his performance in instructional league. He hasn't done anything to tarnish that initial impression, going 31-14, 2.21 in three minor league seasons while rapidly moving up the organization ladder. He had his best year in 2004, leading the minors with a 1.46 ERA. He allowed two earned runs or fewer in 25 of his 26 starts, including his first 22, and surrendered three in his other outing. Duke was the high Class A Carolina League pitcher of the year and finished the season with two quality starts in the Eastern League playoffs for Double-A Altoona. A year ago, he looked like he'd continue to move a level a year, but now he's definitely on the fast track. Duke gets his highest marks for his mound presence and poise. Quiet by nature, he never gets rattled and has a precise plan of what he wants to do with each pitch. He has the best command of any pitcher in the system. Duke's best offering is a curveball that he can throw for strikes at any point in the count. The curve has a big, sweeping movement and lefthanded batters find it unhittable. They batted just .192 with one homer in 156 at-bats against Duke last season. His fastball topped out at 88 mph when he was drafted but now reaches 93 as his body has matured. It usually sits in the 89-91 range. After fading down the stretch in 2003, Duke maintained his strength throughout the 2004 season. His performance didn't slip at all, even after his promotion to Double-A. Duke is a good athlete who fields his position and holds runners well. Duke doesn't have the ability to overpower hitters, so he can't reach back for something extra when he needs a big out. His body continues to fill out, however, so he possibly could add velocity to his heater. Duke's changeup is an average pitch at best, and he needs to refine it because he will need a third offering against major league hitters, especially righthanders, as a starter. His changeup has improved each year, however, and could develop into a plus pitch down the road. Duke got his first look at PNC Park last September, when the Pirates honored him as their minor league pitcher of the year in a pregame ceremony. There's a good chance he could call Pittsburgh home by the end of this season. Duke will begin 2005 at the Pirates' new Triple-A Indianapolis affiliate, and he'll get the call to the major leagues if he comes remotely close to duplicating last year's performance. He doesn't have the pure stuff of a No. 1 starter, but his curveball and smarts give him the look of a solid No. 2.
Duke signed too late to pitch in 2001 but made a good showing in instructional league that year. After an outstanding pro debut in the Gulf Coast League in 2002, he lost 20 pounds and made a smooth jump to low Class A last year. Duke makes up for a lack of overwhelming stuff with outstanding poise and command. He doesn't rattle and has the confidence to throw his outstanding curveball at any point in the count, even 3-0. His fastball rarely reaches 90 mph and is usually around 86-88, but it has excellent movement and he keeps it down in the strike zone. Duke struggles at times to throw his changeup for strikes and he'll need that pitch to have a long-term future as a starter. He tired out in the second half of 2003 and must improve his stamina. Duke has moved quickly in the system and will start this season in high Class A. He projects to be a solid a starter in the middle of a rotation, and he should be ready to challenge for a major league spot sometime late in 2006.
Duke quickly has become a lower-round find for the Pirates. He signed too late to play in the minors in 2001 but made a big impression in instructional league. After staying behind in extended spring training last year, he made his professional debut by leading the rookie-level Gulf Coast League in wins while finishing fifth in ERA. Duke has an outstanding fastball/curveball combination. His heater reaches 92 mph and should gain velocity as his body fills out. His curveball baffled the young hitters in the GCL. Duke has a great desire to learn and has an outstanding attitude. He can be inconsistent with his mechanics, causing his fastball to dip down in the 85 mph range at times. His changeup is rudimentary and he needs to refine it in order to have something slow in his arsenal. The new Pirates regime doesn't believe in rushing young players, so Duke likely will spend all of 2003 in low Class A and move up the ladder one rung at a time.

Minor League Top Prospects

Duke's season began with a win over a rehabbing Curt Schilling on Opening Day, and only got better after that. He became an immediate sensation following his July promotion to Pittsburgh, winning his first six decisions. Duke drove IL and big league hitters alike crazy with a low-90s fastball, a sweeping curveball and a changeup that developed into a plus pitch his season. While he has all the stuff to be a legitimate No. 2 starter in the big leagues--as he already has proven--he can't just overpower opponents. Duke's mound presence and ability to exploit batters' weaknesses are uncanny. "He's a winner," Indianapolis pitching coach Darold Knowles said. "The stuff is there, but his competitiveness is beyond compare. He'll do anything it takes to get out of any situation. And more often than not, he just does."
Duke's stuff rates a notch below Hinckley's, but he has a better feel for his craft. His delivery is smooth and effortless, but still generates an 88-90 mph fastball with late life. His high-70s curveball is a potential big league out pitch. Duke's feel for pitching allows him to set up hitters as well as any pitcher in the minors. He's efficient and pitches to contact, and he also improved his stamina this year, pitching into the sixth inning in six of his nine EL outings. "He's not a thumber," Beasley said. "He's got good life on the fastball. He's so smooth and under control, you look at him and you think, ‘What does this kid have to work on?' He's just so polished."
Duke improved his stock perhaps more than any other pitcher in the league this year. His velocity jumped from 86-88 mph to the 91-93 range and his hard, late-breaking curveball was rated as the best in the league. Duke also made strides with his changeup this season, and it became an out pitch for him by mid-year. A quiet, confident and intense competitor, Duke earned comparisons to a smaller version of Andy Pettitte. "I think the most impressive thing to me is the consistency," Lynchburg pitching coach Scott Lovekamp said. "He made 17 starts with two earned runs or less. It was a quality start every time out and was something I'd never seen before, particularly from a 21-year-old. He has great command as a result of body awareness."
Duke signed too late to play in 2001 but made an easy transition to pro ball this year, leading the GCL in wins. His stuff, deception and ability to mix up his pitches made comparisons to Braves lefthander Tom Glavine commonplace. "He's not a power pitcher," Subero said, "but he hits the corners and dominates both sides of the plate. He works in and out really well and was very good at making adjustments." Duke's best pitches were his curve and changeup. While not overpowering, his fastball showed more velocity than Glavine's.