DUKE WELKER

2/10/86; '07 2nd; Univ. of Arkansas Fayetteville
R/R; 6-7, 221

Level
W-L-Sv
G
GS
IP
H
 HR
BB
K
 BB/9
K/9
WHIP
OAVG
ERA
2006 NJCAA
7-2-0
17
 
74.0
51
  
31
61
 3.8
7.4
1.11
 
2.31
2007 NCAA
7-5-0
18
18
97.2
81
 3
39
80
 3.6
7.4
1.23
.224
3.59
2007 A-
2-2-0
7
7
30.2
29
 2
10
27
 2.9
7.9
1.27
.259
2.35
2008 A
4-13-0
24
24
116.0
142
7
48
72
3.7
5.6
1.64
.307
5.51
2009 A
0-11-2
31
15
101.0
96
7
67
69
6.0
6.1
1.61
.253
5.79

Welker was described by MLB.com as a "steady" starter for Arkansas. Previously he played JC ball at Seminole State in Oklahoma. When drafted, he had an above average, low-90s fastball which he threw on a good downward plane, average command, and a barely average slider. MLB.com stated that he could be a 4th/5th starter if he developed a third pitch. In other words, he had a low ceiling. He missed much of his senior year in HS and his freshman year at Seminole State due to back problems and shoulder surgery, respectively. He followed in the Pirates' tradition, under prior management, of overdrafts in round 2 and of drafting injury risks. Sure enough, he had to be shut down in mid-August after the draft with tightness in his forearm. Prior to being hurt, Welker pitched well for State College.

In 2008, Welker took a big step backward. Expected to be Hickory's top starter, he struggled all year after missing part of April with a turned ankle. He got hit hard and had a very low K rate. He did post a 2.23 ground out to air out ratio, as he generally keeps the ball down. Welker's season came completely unglued in August, when he logged a 10.04 ERA and more walks than Ks. According to the Beaver County Times, his stuff was not as good as it was when he was drafted. He returned to West Virginia in 2009 and opened in the rotation, but eventually got demoted to the bullpen. The move didn't help: his ERA was 6.21 as a reliever and 5.59 as a starter. His fastball rebounded to the low-90s and he didn't get hit as hard as in 2008, but he had significant control problems. He remains a groundball pitcher. If Welker is still around in 2010, he's unlikely to be more than a bullpen fill-in at West Virginia or Bradenton.

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