Left handed pitcher DANNY DUFFY has been nominated Lompoc Male Athlete of the Year for 2007. Duffy signed with the Kansas City Royals as a third-round draft pick after a phenomenal season at Cabrillo High where he posted a microscopic 0.58 ERA with 127 strikeouts.
In the Arizona Rookie League Duffy pitched 37 innings giving up just 24 hits and six earned runs. His ERA was a blue-chip 1.45. His strikeouts totaled 63 contrasted to just 17 bases on balls. His strikeout total ranked No. 6 in the league even though many pitchers (including all five with higher totals) pitched many more innings.
Baseball America, the baseball fan’s Bible, named Duffy the top pitcher in the league. It wrote:
Danny Duffy had the best pro debut of any young pitcher in the league, striking out 15.2 batters per nine innings and going 37 innings without allowing a home run. He did it mostly by working off his fastball. The Royals precluded Duffy from throwing his two-seam sinker and his slider, preferring for him to focus on improving the command of his four-seamer and curveball and using his changeup.
The Royals also worked on making Duffy's mechanics more consistent and keeping him from rushing through his delivery. He made progress on all fronts. His fastball sits at 88-92 mph and touches 94, and his curveball at times is a plus pitch.
"He got better at repeating his mechanics and maintaining his stuff late in games as the year went on," Royals pitching coach Mark Davis said. "His fastball was firm and live, and he really located down and away well."
In the Arizona Rookie League Duffy pitched 37 innings giving up just 24 hits and six earned runs. His ERA was a blue-chip 1.45. His strikeouts totaled 63 contrasted to just 17 bases on balls. His strikeout total ranked No. 6 in the league even though many pitchers (including all five with higher totals) pitched many more innings.
Baseball America, the baseball fan’s Bible, named Duffy the top pitcher in the league. It wrote:
Danny Duffy had the best pro debut of any young pitcher in the league, striking out 15.2 batters per nine innings and going 37 innings without allowing a home run. He did it mostly by working off his fastball. The Royals precluded Duffy from throwing his two-seam sinker and his slider, preferring for him to focus on improving the command of his four-seamer and curveball and using his changeup.
The Royals also worked on making Duffy's mechanics more consistent and keeping him from rushing through his delivery. He made progress on all fronts. His fastball sits at 88-92 mph and touches 94, and his curveball at times is a plus pitch.
"He got better at repeating his mechanics and maintaining his stuff late in games as the year went on," Royals pitching coach Mark Davis said. "His fastball was firm and live, and he really located down and away well."
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