Gene J. Puskar, Associated Press Left-hander Zach Duke may never pitch in the minor leagues again. Click photo for larger image. More Pirates Coverage: Scouting Report: Florida Marlins Effort under way to save Forbes Field outfield wall

It's quite possible Pirates fans have seen only the teeny, tiny tip of the iceberg of what Zach Duke can accomplish in a major-league career that is only four games along.

And in a major-league career that might not ever be interrupted by an exile back to the minor leagues.

"I don't think -- barring some type of setback physically and him having to rehab -- Zach Duke is a guy who will ever pitch in the minor leagues again," Class AAA Indianpolis manager Trent Jewett said.

Well, the early returns indicate that could be true.

In his four big-league starts, Duke is 3-0 with an 0.93 earned run average.

He hasn't allowed an earned run in his past 24 innings.

That seems a rather small sample, however.

"I don't think it's a fluke and I don't think it's something that's short term," Jewett insisted. "He has long-term abilities. His mechanics are good. You're not concerned with injury with him.

"He never looks like he's out of control -- or rarely, very rarely. You feel like he's somebody who's going to give you 200-plus innings every year for a long time to come."

That could make Duke ...

"He's one of those guys that might be a hell of a pitcher," Indianapolis pitching coach Darold Knowles said. "I've been doing this -- coaching -- for 25 years, and he's the only one I've ever found who can adjust as rapidly as he does.

"I've had others who finally would get it. But him? You just show him something and he grasps it and he knows how to use it. When you tell him something, he's like a sponge. He's a special type guy.

"He's very, very confident in his stuff. He's very, very confident in his ability to get hitters out. He knows that if he does what he wants with the ball, he's as likely as not to get you out."

Charles Rex Arbogast, Associated Press Pirates left-hander Zach Duke has had an impressive start this season. Click photo for larger image.

Pretty heady stuff.

"We're talking about him like he's in the Hall of Fame already," Knowles conceded, "but you know what? If he stays healthy, I could see that [happening] in 15 or 20 years."

Take a deep breath right now and ponder what Jewett and Knowles said.

Now listen to more.

In his third major-league start, Duke, 22, beat future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, 39, at Wrigley Field, 3-0. Duke gave the Chicago Cubs six hits and two walks in eight innings but consistently stuffed them with double-play balls.

Afterward, somebody asked Maddux if he admired Duke's poise.

"I saw a good fastball, changeup and curve," Maddux said. "I don't care about the other stuff. There's a lot of guys with poise who can't throw. He can throw. I've seen a lot of guys with no poise who still throw good. He threw good. He threw really good."

Showing poise

Duke, scheduled to make his fifth big-league start tomorrow night in Miami against the Florida Marlins, has been throwing "really good" his entire professional career -- which spans 83 starts and has produced a 46-17 record.

The Pirates' 20th-round pick in the 2001 draft, Duke began attracting "can't miss" labels last season when he was combined 15-6 for Class A Lynchburg and Class AA Altoona and led the minor leagues with a 1.46 ERA.

And he continued to impress with that outstanding five-inning stint March 18 in Clearwater against Philadelphia in spring training.

"You had to be impressed with what you saw in the big-league camp," Knowles said. "He threw extremely well. He was very relaxed, very confident. He showed a lot of poise -- even then."

Duke showed even more poise in his first Class AAA start against Pawtucket on a rainy day April 7 in Indianapolis. His opponent? Curt Schilling, who made a rehab start that afternoon.

Duke won.

He was on his way to the big leagues.

"Class AAA is kind of an awkward level," Jewett said. "Players think, 'I've gone to Double A and pretty much dominated there. I've been to big-league camp. I'll just move up to this level and wait for my time to pass and graduate to the big leagues.'

"Well, it's not that simple, because you're up against experience. When you're 22 years old, you have a certain disadvantage because of the experience you're up against. And if it's not experience you're up against, it's one of those gaudy, talented players.

MINOR-LEAGUE REPORT Sunday's results INDIANAPOLIS (58-44) lost to Columbus, 7-1, allowing six runs in the eighth inning. Starter Bryan Bullington (5-4, 4.23) allowed eight hits, no walks and five earned runs and struck out seven in 7 1/3 innings. 3B Ty Wigginton (.271) went 1 for 4. C David Ross (.167) went 1 for 4. DH Ronny Paulino (.353) was 0 for 3. 1B Graham Koonce (.270) hit his 19th home run and netted his 61st RBI. ALTOONA (50-49) defeated Harrisburg, 8-6, on 1B Josh Bonifay's walkoff home run in the ninth inning. Starter Paul Stewart (4.82) allowed eight hits, a walk and five runs in six innings. Bonifay (.289) has 19 home runs and 56 RBIs and was 7 for 11 in the three-game series. RF Adam Boeve (.350) had two hits, including his first Class AA home run and drove in three runs. 2B Craig Stansberry (.217) hit his eighth home run and had two RBIs (33). LYNCHBURG (59-42) defeated Wilmington, 6-5, in 11 innings. Starter Kyle Bloom (5.49) allowed three hits, four walks and three runs in six innings. 2B Taber Lee (.263) went 5 for 5 with his second home run and two RBIs (23). CF Nyjer Morgan (.275) had two hits. RF Bobby Kingsbury (.280) had two hits and two RBIs (50). HICKORY (39-56) lost to Augusta, 5-2. Starter Yoann Torrealba (6-5, 3.33) allowed 11 hits, no walks and three earned runs in eight innings. DH Neil Walker (.281) had two hits. 2B Dan Schwartzbauer (.296) went 0 for 3. WILLIAMSPORT (21-12) won its 12th consecutive game, 7-6, at Oneonta. Starter Todd Redmond (1-0, 1.51) allowed five hits, two walks and one earned run and struck out five in five innings. 3B Euve Solano (.268) had three hits, including his first home run, a grand slam. He has 17 RBIs. BRADENTON (12-14) had the day off.

"For Zach to handle not only just the move up, but also the opening day hoopla coupled with the fact Curt Schilling, a Hall of Famer, was going to pitch against him, those are big hurdles. Is it the big leagues? No. But it's certainly a sign of him being able to handle and wipe out any outside distractions and focus on the task at hand."

Duke did all that in most of his next 15 starts for the Indians, too. On June 25, he beat Toledo, raising his record to 12-3, but still there was no call to the big leagues.

The very next day, though, the Pirates' Oliver Perez kicked that laundry cart in St. Louis.

The door had opened for Duke.

"Zach was going to force his way into the big leagues at some point this year, in my opinion," Jewett said.

But what if nothing negative had happened to any Pirates starter this year? What if the Pirates' rotation remained intact throughout the season?

"Well, then, Zach was going to be 25-6 [in Class AAA]," Jewett said, laughing.

Duke still might finish a combined 25-6 this year, but if Jewett is correct no more of those wins will come for Indianapolis.

Like losing a son

Soon after the laundry cart incident, the Pirates announced Duke would come to the big leagues and make his debut July 2 in Milwaukee.

It was as if Knowles and Jewett had lost a son.

"He's the kind of guy you'd want to marry your daughter," Knowles said. "He's just a nice man. He's going to be an ambassador for the game. He's not going to be a big-headed guy and start thinking he's better than anybody else. He'll stay humble. I cannot see him ever changing -- but I can see him winning a lot of games in the big leagues.

"From my heart, I hope he stays healthy. He and I got very close here."

Jewett, 41 and in his 19th year as a professional player/coach/manager, is not one to gush and gush and go on and on about any player. Or at least he hadn't been until he managed Duke.

On a recent day in Indianapolis, Jewett, without prompting, went on and on about Duke.

"The way you feel when you get up in the morning is based on who's starting the game for you that day, and when Zach Duke was pitching I felt I was going to win that day," Jewett said. "He gives everybody on the ballclub the same feeling.

"You see a lot of guys with gaudy skills -- power bats like Brad Eldred and Pedro Martinez and his overpowering stuff. You scout those things and they're tangible.

"But what's gaudy about Zach Duke is his mental aptitude and his awareness of what's going on within a team, within a game from pitch to pitch, just the overall awareness he has, and that's gaudy.

"It's difficult to see in him because he has such a calm demeanor, such a calm look about him. But when you watch a young man perform for half a season or more, you get that feel that this kid is under control and that he is in command of himself and in command of the guy he's working with directly [the catcher] and has a full awareness of what the other team's trying to do and how he's going to combat that.

"You talk to him between innings, say in the seventh when he's hit 90 pitches. You ask how he's doing and he gives you that look like, 'Just don't worry about it. I'm fine.' He doesn't say it. It's not cocky. Just 'Don't worry about it. I'm fine.'

"You get the feeling that he's in charge. That's something you can't teach. It's only born into guys, I think, and some of it came with the success he's had.

He's also well-prepared once a runner is on base, Jewett said.

"He understands the speed of that player. He understands what he's up against with the skills of the hitter he's facing and he becomes a situational pitcher. His sinker's better in those spots. His command's better in those spots.

"It's not that he can't command the ball with the bases empty. It's more, 'I can throw a strike here and get ahead and read what happens and that will dictate how I control the rest of this at-bat.'

"One skill is reading the opposition -- what they're trying to do to him, reading their bat path, their stance, their movements.

"It's something that's very unusual. It's a credit to him and his upbringing and the organization for finding that talent."

Jewett finally paused -- giving Knowles an opening.

"He's going to have his bumps in the road, but you will not see him get ripped," Knowles said. "You'll see him get beat, but you're not going to see him give up seven, eight, nine runs before you can get him out of there. I just don't think that's ever going to happen.

"He lets you hit the ball until he needs you to do something with it and then he tries to make you do it. He doesn't want you to hit your pitch. He wants you to hit his all the time."

So far, through 83 professional starts, Zach Duke has managed to do that most of the time.

That's perhaps the biggest reason why a month ago Jewett called in Duke and told him he'd been called to the major leagues.

As Duke began to leave Jewett's office, he turned and said to his former manager: "I'm going to make you proud."

It would seem Duke's done that.

And if Jewett and Knowles are correct, he'll make both of them proud for a long, long time.