His curveball is a real hammer pitch

John Perrotto writes about the boy wonder.

The scouts who watched that game [against the Phillies last Friday] walked away raving about Duke.

"There is no doubt in my mind that kid can pitch in the major leagues now," said a scout from a National League organization. "He has the stuff to get big-league guys out and his curveball is a real hammer pitch. He has the poise. He has the mound presence. I really don't know what more he could learn in the minor leagues."

Duke's fastball reaches 92 mph but the curve and changeup are his best pitches. And it is that poise and mound presence that has impressed his teammates this spring.

Make no promises now and give him the job a few weeks later. Dave Williams, AAA. Ryan Vogelsong, grab a mop. Odds are that both those guys will get their turn.

Let's win some games. Let's sell some tickets. Put the guy with the real hammer pitch on the mound.