David DuncanHow did he get here?: Drafted, 5th Round (2008)
Stats: 6'9", 230 lbs, Throws: Left
Age as of April 1, 2010: 23
Man. David Duncan was all over the place, pitching for three of the Astros' minor-league affiliates: Tri-City, Lexington, and Lancaster. He started the season in Lancaster, went 0-9 in 10 starts with an 8.51 ERA, and was sent to figure out what the heck was going on - which he did, presumably, over 13 starts between Tri-City and Lexington.
2009 Overview - all three levels
| IP | ERA/WHIP | K:BB | BAA | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 125.2 | 5.73/1.55 | 102:29 | .327 | 7.3 | 2.1 |
Career (2008-09)
| IP | ERA/WHIP | K:BB | HR/9 | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 181 | 5.47/1.46 | 147:38 | 1.0 | 7.3 | 1.9 |
What happened?
Duncan performed well once he got out of the Coors Light (see what I did there?), posting WHIPs of 0.98 and 1.34 at Tri-City and Lexington, respectively. Everything got better for Duncan upon leaving the Cali League: K/9, BB/9, H/9. So whether Duncan repeats at Lexington before jumping to Corpus, or they throw him and his self-confidence to the wolves remains to be seen.
What went right?
K:BB ratio. Even at his season's worst - in Lancaster - Duncan walked 3.1 batters per nine innings, and had almost a 2:1 K:BB ratio, while his career K:BB ratio sits at a nice 3.87:1. He has walked 38 batters in 181 career innings.
What went wrong?
Hard to say. Maybe having Duncan jump from Tri-City in 2008, where he posted a 4.88 ERA/1.25 WHIP in 55.1 career IP, straight to Lancaster. Regarless, it took the Astros 48.2 rough innings in Lancaster to realize he was in over his 6'9" head. Maybe a repeat at Lexington before jumping past the California League wouldn't be the worst thing.
