An Interview with 3B Matt Duffy

I was first intrigued by Matt Duffy during his short season with Tri-City in 2011 because of one thing ... his consistency. Month after month, road and home, righties and lefties -- he was always so consistent at the plate. And that is still the case. Through the first 67 games of 2013 at Lancaster, Duffy is hitting .315 at home and .301 on  the road; .307 against righties and .308 against lefties; .324 in April, .284 in May, .318 in June. Consistently consistent.

As Hitting Coach Darryl Robinson put it, "Outstanding ballplayer. Incredible talent. He's a hard worker. He uses the entire field and I really like that, especially being able to go the other way at his age ... to be able to use the opposite field, that's a big plus. It opens up the field for you. It's going to give you the opportunity to be a better hitter. And that's what he does really well."

But the one thing I was concerned about was his defense. When I saw Matt in Lexington in April of 2012, I saw a big guy with questionable footwork who just didn't look comfortable at third. Fast forward a year plus and that guy was gone. When I first saw Matt in Lancaster last month, I first noticed how much he had changed physically. He looked leaner and stronger. But the biggest change for me was what I saw as smooth, effortless fielding at third base.

Lancaster Manager Rodney Linares has been impressed with Duffy as well, "He came in to Spring Training in [great] shape. He came ready to play and I've been really impressed with the way he plays defense. He moves well, accurate with his throws. For a big guy ... he doesn't look like he could move like he can move. He's sneaky. He'll get you."

Matt Duffy - June 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

I spoke with Duffy regarding his defensive improvements among other things. Here is what he had to say this past weekend, edited for brevity and clarity ~

On his defensive improvements: My defense, I think, has taken strides mostly because of Morgan [Ensberg] and his help from a positioning standpoint. He moved me about two steps further to my left, more toward the six hole off the line. We're really just focusing on taking the balls in the six hole away, and to be honest, a lot more balls get hit there so maybe it allows me to make plays that look easier, making people in the stands think, 'Oh, he's better.' So I'd have to give a lot of credit to him. He works with me every single day and stays on us. It's been a pleasure working with him. [Is he more comfortable at third?] Yeah, definitely. When you do all the reps, you get it down. The more you do it in practice, the more comfortable you're going to be in the game. It does feel a little bit better. Two steps to my left, it just seems like the balls, they just take better hops for some reason, so I'm just going to stick with it."

[Ensberg appreciated the credit from Duffy, but underplays his role, "I didn't do anything except help him be more consistent with his approach on defense. What's really happened here is that he's been positioned in a good spot and he understands the concepts of taking a ground ball. He's really taken to it."]

On the differences in fielding at Lexington and Lancaster: "The ball definitely gets on you pretty quick here. It's a fast infield and it dries up a lot. The wind blows and the surface will dry and you can get some bad hops, and the balls come at you really hot at third base. The infield is definitely slower in Lexington, but this is a good field. It's obviously a hitter-friendly park. I don't mind playing here. I heard some horror stories, but it hasn't been that bad at all and I enjoy the guys that we're with, so that makes it great."

On hitting adjustments from Low A to High A: "Obviously, the pitching gets a little better every time you move up, so you just kind of adjust to that, however they pitch you. Some are major adjustments, some are minor ... throughout the season as different teams find different tendencies on you. I think that's what I've done a pretty good job at. [I] just kind of watch the game, try to figure out what the pitcher is trying to do to me and the other guys. I just try to pay attention to the game and kind of just go with it."

On his recent All-Star experience: "It was really good. My Dad flew out so I got to spend the three days with him. It was really fun. We got to go on the field before [the Giants/Padres game]. Free food, free drinks, all that good stuff. And having my Dad there was really cool, just to have a family member in town. We all had a good time. It was a good experience. [Did he miss getting three day's rest?] The rest is always good, [but] whether I was off for three days or did that [the All-Star game], it always feels like you have no time off any way. It's just one of those things. You just grind through it."

Why does he get hit by pitches so much?: "I still don't have an answer for that. Knock on wood, it feels like I haven't been hit in a while. [Naturally, Duffy got hit by a pitch later that day. I think I jinxed him.] I don't know. I still don't have an answer. I wish I did so I could get out of the way or something. I got hurt earlier when I got hit on the elbow and I've worn an elbow pad, and I don't think I've been hit since then. It's funny. A lot of the guys laugh about that. It's fine unless I get hurt because I'm getting on base and the guys behind me can hopefully hit a double and I can score."

On the changes in the Astros organization: "It's obvious the Astros organization has taken huge strides. I'm just really happy to be a part of this organization. They do everything the right way and I'm very grateful for the opportunity, that I get to be a player for the organization. That's all I can really ask for. But I really like the way they do things and hopefully I can stick around for a while."

Linares went on to say of Duffy, "He's been a pleasure not only to work with, but he's a great kid. He works extremely hard trying to get better. He plays as hard as anybody and never gives you an excuse. He's got the talent. It's now a matter of refining it and see[ing] where it takes him."

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One of the true revelations of the 2013 Astros season for me has been the emergence of Matt Dominguez at third base. There was never a question about his defense, but now that his bat is evolving, he has rapidly become a fan favorite, and the ubiquitous #MattyD hashtag has become a common sight on twitter during the games. Similarly, seeing how Matt Duffy's defense is evolving to go with an already consistent bat has been a great revelation for me as well. Watch out #MattyD ... there's another #MattyD on the rise!

Thank you for your time, Matt, and best of luck as the season continues to unfold.