Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
November 25, 2007
Restoring a Dukedom

Pirate pitching coach Jeff Andrews discusses righting Zach Duke.

"Mechanics isn't a real fun issue to talk about," Andrews said, "but we need him to become consistent. I think it's going to work. I think he's going to believe in it. It's pretty basic stuff -- but he's a pretty basic pitcher.

"The big goal is to get it worked out in spring training, so he will be able to go full throttle into the season."

Andrews, who tutored Duke during his nine-start stint with Class AA Altoona in 2004, worked with almost all the Pirates' young pitchers during their progressions through the minor-league system.

"They've had their time to get accustomed to the major leagues," Andrews said. "They've certainly had their ups, and they've certainly had their downs. Now it's time for them to win and become proven major-league pitchers."

Duke's low strikeout rate in 2005 indicated his ERA might rise as his career continued. He K per 9 declined both in 2006 and 2007, and his ERA rose both years. Andrews needs to get Zach's K per 9 up again for him to have a good chance at success.


Posted by David Pinto at 08:12 PM | Pitchers | TrackBack (0)
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