Adam Duke

Duke's father, Dev, was killed on July 4, 2001, when a fireworks stand he was running blew over on top of him during a strong windstorm. Duke has persevered through that adversity, however, and will likely be the highest-drafted pitcher from the Beehive State since Mark Pawelek was a first-round pick by the Cubs in 2005. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Duke looked good in the summer and was on the rise early this spring when he threw the ball 92-95 mph with a sharp curveball and a changeup with some fade. His velocity dipped down to 85-89 late in the year. Some teams thought he might be hurt, while others thought he may have been coasting a bit, or it may have been a dead-arm period. He was back up to 92 in his team's first playoff game, twirling a one-hit shutout. Duke throws from a three-quarters arm slot, and his fastball gets late tailing action and jumps in on hitters. He's polished for a high school pitcher and fills up the strike zone with all of his pitches. He's a good athlete and plays shortstop when he's not on the mound. He also works fast and understands the finer points of the game, like setting up hitters and holding runners. Duke is a bulldog on the mound. His brother Brock is a freshman righthander at Utah, and Adam is considered a tough sign away from his Oregon State commitment.