Frank Duncan

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #23 prospect in 2017
  Duncan declined to sign with the Indians after they selected him in the 39th round of the 2013 draft, and he returned to Kansas for his senior season. The move worked. Duncan completed his civil engineering degree while also improving his draft stock significantly. By embracing the Pirates' organizational philosophy of throwing sinkers to induce groundball outs and keep the ball in the park, Duncan has quickly made his way up the system and had a fine 2016 at Triple-A Indianapolis. Duncan rarely tops 90 mph but the sinking action on his fastball and a plus slider give him a chance to either be a spot starter or a groundball-inducing middle reliever. He is especially effective against righthanders, holding them to a .214/.286/.288 line at Triple-A. Duncan wins high marks for his baseball smarts, his ability to self-evaluate and for his ability to adjust quickly on the mound. He will head back to the Indianapolis rotation to begin 2017 but is on the cusp of making his major league debut.