The six-foot-two right-hander's three pitch mix - a mid-high 90's fastball, an electric changeup that many called the best in the draft, and an upper 80's slider - gives him one of the highest floors of any pitcher in last year's draft class. However, there is some reliever risk to his projection, as he was not consistently stretched out as a starting pitcher in college.
Hailing from Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Duncan is one of the most anticipated arms in all of Canada. The 2026 graduate is finishing up high school and plays for numerous teams across Canada, including the Langley Blaze and the Junior National Team, and has a commitment to Vanderbilt for post-secondary ball. Duncan has shown extreme growth in his game, with valuable displays on the field and improvements in his pitch usage.
The Phillies are going to acquire right-hander Yoniel Curet from the Rays. Right-hander Tommy McCollum is going the other way. The Rays designated the Curet for assignment recently to open a roster spot when they signed outfielder Cedric Mullins. Philadelphia's 40-man roster count jumps from 34 to 35. Reporter Mike Rodriguez first noted that Curet was going to Philly. Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported on McCollum's inclusion.
The Marlins and right-hander discussed an extension earlier this year, according to reporting from Will Sammon, Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo of The Athletic. However, they didn't come close to getting something done. These talks occurred when the team approached the righty's representatives in the spring and the two sides were about $15MM apart, according to Isaac Azout of Fish on First. Both Azout and Christina De Nicola of MLB.com say that the talks are expected to continue this offseason.
We've got some more roster shuffling to discuss as the Atlanta Braves are continuing to throw stuff at the wall and figure out what sticks and what doesn't. This time, they've decided to go with one of their most intriguing pitching prospects in the form of Jhancarlos Lara. The hard-throwing right-hander will get the chance to face big league hitters for the first time at some point in the near future.
The Mets are set to promote top pitching prospect for his major league debut, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. They'll need to clear space on both the 40-man and 26-man rosters in order to formally select his contract from Triple-A Syracuse.
There is some feeling within the Mets organization that right-handed pitching prospect could make his MLB debut before the 2025 season is up, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports. Tong only just made his debut with Triple-A Syracuse on August 16 and hadn't been projected as "a consideration for the Major League roster this year," Puma writes, but "that stance has changed in recent days."
Tigers right-hander won't pitch competitively this year, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Evan Woodbery of MLive) yesterday. While the Tigers have announced that Madden is working on a return-to-play throwing progression, Hinch revealed that the goal of that program is to set him up for a "productive offseason" rather than to try and get him back on the mound for game action before the year ends.
