Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Zach Duke started his career with the Pirates by going 8-2 with a 1.81 ERA. Click photo for larger image. More Coverage: Pirates Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic

BRADENTON, Fla. -- A year ago, when Zach Duke attended the Pirates' minicamp for the first time, he spoke in an awestruck tone when describing his previous season with Class AA Altoona, one in which he posted a golden 1.46 earned run average.

"The things that happened were just ... so perfect," he said at the time. "I just don't know if I'll have another year like that again. I'd like to, but no one expects something like that."

What no one could have expected -- including Duke, apparently -- was that he would raise his bar much, much higher in the months to come.

Earning a promotion to Class AAA?

He was Indianapolis' opening-day starter and went 12-3 with a 2.92 ERA in three months there.

Getting to Pittsburgh?

He achieved that in July and drew national attention by starting his Major League Baseball career 6-0 on his way to an 8-2 finish and a 1.81 ERA.

And next?

How about opening-day starter for the Pirates?

"You know what? If it happens, great. If it doesn't, it won't be the end of the world," Duke said yesterday. "I'm going to go out there and pitch whenever they tell me to."

Manager Jim Tracy is not close to making any such commitment, of course, as his first examination of players will come this morning with the start of minicamp workouts. But Duke's chances appear to be no worse than those of anyone confirmed to be in the rotation.

Oliver Perez had the honor last season, disappointed in losing to the Milwaukee Brewers, 9-2, at PNC Park and went on to disappoint most of the summer. Kip Wells, who threw the first pitch the previous year, is coming off an 8-18 campaign. And Paul Maholm has made only six major-league starts.

"This could be a good staff all around. Anyone could step up," Duke said. "You look at Oliver and Kip, and they both have great stuff. You look at Paul and myself, we're average across the board but get the job done other ways. There's a lot of potential here."

To hear baseball men tell it, the one who stands out is Duke. He does not have Perez's buzzing velocity or dirt-eating slider. Nor is he blessed with Wells' natural movement. But, as he illustrated last season, his grasp of pitching nuances is uncanny for any age, much less someone who will turn 23 in April.

"What you notice about Zach Duke is that he is beyond his years in knowing what he's doing on the mound," pitching coach Jim Colborn said. "He has an instinct for finding what hitters are looking for, then beating them through that."

Duke acknowledges being satisfied with how he performed last season, but only when it is left in that context. True to his incessantly self-critiquing form, he speaks almost defiantly about not resting on those accomplishments and continuing his dramatic upward curve.

"That's how I got from where I was at this point last year to where I am now," he said. "There are weaknesses in my game, things I need to learn. The way I see it, last year is over. It's in the books. It doesn't matter anymore. I'm just looking to make myself better."

Precedent shows that tends to be difficult when following a marvelous rookie performance. Opponents scout more closely. Batters adjust. The public weighs in, too, by adding pressure. But Duke insists he can turn all of those elements in his favor.

"I know what to expect from opponents now, too. That will help me, I think. And I know there are expectations of me. That's fine. That just makes me want to work that much harder."

Notes

Catcher Neil Walker, the Pirates' top draft pick two summers ago, said the rehabilitation of his surgically repaired left wrist could consume all of spring training. He expects to be ready to play at the start of the season. ... The 68-room dormitory at Pirate City, closed since May because of mold infestation, will be torn down and replaced by next spring training, according to Trevor Gooby, the Pirates' director of Florida operations. Players will stay in local hotels in the interim. The central structure containing team offices and player facilities will remain untouched. ... Gooby said the plan of the Bradenton government -- which owns the complex -- could include lights for nearby McKechnie Field, the only stadium in the Grapefruit League limited to day games, as well as a fifth practice field for Pirate City. ... The workouts today will begin at 9:30 a.m., and roughly half the 29 pitchers are expected to throw off mounds. ... Tracy, on his first on-the-field act with the Pirates: "Well, we're planning on just going out there in sweats rather than full uniforms, so it's not going to be that formal. To tell you the truth, I already feel like a Pirate."