Al Behrman, Associated Press Pirates outfielder Chris Duffy walks off the field after a run on the first day of training camp yesterday in Bradenton, Fla. The Pirates first scheduled workout is today. Click photo for larger image. 2006 Pirates Spring Training Today: First workout Tuesday: Position players report Wednesday: First full-squad workout March 1: Game vs. Manatee Community College, 12:05 p.m., Bradenton, Fla. March 2: First Grapefruit League game, vs. Washington, 1:05 p.m., Viera, Fla. Related article Pirates Notebook: Tracy, players start work today

BRADENTON, Fla. -- As the Pirates' pitchers and catchers rolled in for their mandatory reporting date for spring training yesterday, a few were greeted by a player who beat them all into camp.

By five weeks.

And he is neither a pitcher nor a catcher.

Chris Duffy, the team's designated starting center fielder and leadoff hitter, has been at Pirate City since Jan. 8. Some of that time was spent working with the training staff on maintenance of the left hamstring that was torn Aug. 25 and cut short his rookie season. But the bulk of it was invested in a conditioning program aimed at helping him run properly.

Yes, run properly.

This for the player described by manager Jim Tracy as being perhaps the fastest in the National League from home plate to first base.

"It's not that there was a flaw in my running," Duffy said. "It's that they found I was leaning a certain way, and I didn't have the muscle buildup necessary to support that style of running. That was how the groin was hurt. It was carrying too much of the stress."

Duffy was put through a three-times-a-week, four-hours-a-day regimen to strengthen, stretch and fine-tune muscles in the hip and upper legs to develop a more stable foundation. He also was reminded to consume more fluids to avoid the type of dehydration that sent him to the hospital during an Aug. 4 game at PNC Park and, possibly, contributed to the hamstring injury.

The result of all that?

"I've been timed, and I'm just as fast running on the field," he said. "It's just a matter of being able to stay healthy while running all-out. And I'll tell you what, I feel great. This is the best offseason shape I've been in, by far. I can't wait to get going."

That much should be evident, of course, when a player whose hometown is in Vermont and offseason residence is in Arizona spends most of his winter hanging out in Florida under the employer's supervision.

"They can't keep me away. This is such a great opportunity for me, such a big year."

That palpable exuberance is only part of why Tracy consistently has raved about Duffy as much as any player on his roster.

Another, maybe the most prominent reason, is Duffy's speed. Tracy points only to the Houston Astros' Willy Taveras and Chicago Cubs' Juan Pierre as being comparable, and he narrows that field to Pierre and Duffy in terms of reaching first base because each has the head start from the left side of the batter's box.

"He's down the line just like that," Tracy said, snapping his fingers. "You tell me: Is there someone else out there who gets there faster? I haven't seen him."

To be sure, Duffy is not yet at the achievement level of Taveras, the National League's rookie of the year in 2005, nor Pierre, a veteran base-reaching and base-stealing machine. But he got his career off to a superb start last season by batting .341 in 39 games with a home run, nine RBIs and a .385 on-base percentage, the key figure for a leadoff man.

But Tracy makes no secret of his desire to see Duffy translate his talent for contact into an even higher on-base percentage. And, as Tracy told Duffy in a long talk they had last month, that will come from keeping the ball on the ground.

"When you have Chris Duffy's speed, you don't have to hit the ball to the fence to get on. All you have to do, most of the time, is put your bat on the ball and take off."

It is a delicate mix, becoming an ideal leadoff man.

Taveras, for example, led Major League Baseball last season with 70 infield hits, including 29 bunt singles. That accounted for 40 percent of his 172 hits and contributed greatly to his .291 average. He also stole 34 bases in 45 tries. But he seldom demonstrated patience at the plate, walking only 25 times in 635 plate appearances, so his on-base percentage was a low .325.

Duffy, whose rookie sample is much smaller, had 13 infield hits, including three bunt singles, to account for 30 percent of his 43 hits. He also had a low walk total, seven in 136 plate appearances, and stole two of four bases.

On the more promising end, he produced 16 runs in his 21 games atop the Pirates' order and batted almost evenly against right-handers (.337) and left-handers (.355).

"I see Chris Duffy as a catalyst-type," Tracy said. "And that's such a big part of a team's offense, to have someone set the table for you."

Duffy seems to relish the role.

"Oh, I love it," he said. "I get a big high off that challenge. If I can score a run in the first inning, I know that puts the other team's back to the wall a little bit, and I know it means a lot to Jim. Believe me, I'll go into it with open ears and hear what Jim and his staff have to say. I know he's dealt with leadoff hitters who are similar to me, and I know he wants me to walk, to get on base more. I'm excited about that."