The White Sox added one of the best in the business Thursday, hiring former major-league pitching coach Dave Duncan as an organization-wide pitching consultant.
Duncan, 72, the Sox pitching coach from 1983 to ’86, will review and evaluate video of pitchers and pitching prospects and give his feedback to various members of the organization.
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The Sox, who have significant young pitching depth at the major-league level with Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Carson Fulmer and Carlos Rodon — in addition to a highly regarded stockpile of minor-league prospects that includes Michael Kopech, Alec Hansen, Dane Dunning and Dylan Cease — are entering an important stage of player development in the second year of their rebuild. Duncan’s expertise is a welcome addition, general manager Rick Hahn said.
“Given his impressive experience and accomplishments in this game over decades in the dugout, Dave provides us with another set of valuable eyes to give insight into our major-league pitching staff, our minor-league prospects, other major-league staffs and even some of the amateur arms we might be considering for next year’s draft,” Hahn said.
Duncan, who lives in Tucson, Arizona, was a special assistant to the general manager and a pitching consultant in the Diamondbacks organization the last four seasons. His 32 years as a pitching coach with the Indians (1980-81), Mariners (1982), Sox, Athletics (1986-95) and Cardinals (1996-2011) are the longest tenure in baseball history.
“I am looking forward to the opportunity to watch the many talented pitchers in the White Sox organization and offer my own thoughts and impressions,” Duncan said. “I’ve already been talking to [pitching coach] Don Cooper and [bullpen coach] Curt Hasler, and the coach in me is excited to look for ways to contribute toward making a pitcher even a little bit better.”
Duncan’s pitching staffs led their respective leagues in ERA four times, and he coached Cy Young Award winners LaMarr Hoyt (1983), Bob Welch (1990), Dennis Eckersley (1992) and Chris Carpenter (2005). He was on three World Series-winning staffs under manager Tony La Russa with the A’s (1989) and Cardinals (2006 and ’11) after working under La Russa on the Sox’ 1983 division championship team that won 99 games.
Sox GM Ken Harrelson fired Duncan and La Russa after the Sox got off to a 26-38 start in 1986. They remained linked together with the A’s and Cardinals after that. La Russa joined the Red Sox as vice president and special assistant in November.
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Email: dvanschouwen@suntimes.com
