A Reprise of 05? The Fluke of Zach Duke!

It is early in the season and one start does not a season make.

But today I talk about the fluke of Duke. And I do not mean me. I mean Zack.


Here we were, my partner Alvin Entin and I, in the Aventura 5 by 5 Roto Draft last Sunday, with him urging me to take Zach Duke.

"Why," I asked, "because he had a hot spring or because he was 8-2 with a 1.85 era in 2005 when he steamrolled onto the fantasy scene?"

"Why," I asked, "would I take a dude who has been 18-37 since with an era of 5.67 and a whip of 9000 pitching on a lousy team?"

I play safe with pitchers. I like good ones you can count on, and okay ones you can win with. If I get a journeyman, he has got to get me 15 wins. If I am going to suck it up with a 5 era, the man had best win a dozen games and go 150 innings. He has to help in at least one category if he is bringing me down in others. And I take him only if I need innings and I have a Santana type to balance off the rodeo he brings to my whip and era.

Anyway, as I pointed out to my partner, there was no rush in selecting Duke; that he would be available with the last pick of our reserves after 15 teams had drafted 225 players, and then selected another 120 reserves. So there we were, 345 players gone and Duke still available. "See, Alvin, I told you so..."

Nine more players selected in the ninth and final reserve round. We had the tenth pick, number 355, and Zach Duke was still on the board: "Now is your chance, Alvin, if you want him grab him. You have a choice, Kevin Millwood, still available, Zach Duke, or Carlos Carrasco, the hot throwing potential star prospect for the Phillies." He said, okay, go with the kid. And Carrasco is on our reserve list today, still not in the majors. Millwood, already 2-0, spotless with Texas; The Duker, after today's shutout against Houston, 2-0.

And in this league with a free agency budget of $200 for the whole season, I bid mildly on both Millwood and Duke yesterday. A ten spot on each. Did not get either. They went for 30 and 24. Guys no one wanted now going for 15% of their whole season's free agent budget.

So I go into week two with an awesome offensive powerhouse that includes Kemp and Quentin and Kinsler and Utley and McAnn and a pitching staff which features Jason Marquis and Andrew Miller. It is gonna be a long season trying to pull the next Zach Duke out of the bag. But someone may have. His name just might be Zach Duke.