News
Duke Sardinha - Duke-ing it Out in the Minors
Kyle Galdeira
03/22/07
Duke Sardinha plans on eliminating nuts from his baseball diet
just in time for the regular season.
After spending last year with the Modesto Nuts, the high-A club of the Colorado Rockies, Sardinha is hoping that his experience gained in the HWB League last fall will give him the boost he needs to elevate his status.
A utility player who has spent much of his time in the minors at third base, Sardinha is currently working out with the first basemen of the double-A Tulsa squad. As a member of the Waikiki BeachBoys, he worked exclusively at the position and became more comfortable there.
"I actually played two seasons at first," Sardinha says. "Last year, I played the first half (of the season with Modesto) at first, and in the winter league, I played predominantly at first."
The six-foot, 200-pound Honolulu native and Kamehameha High graduate struggled at the plate in the winter, managing a .214 batting average to go along with 26 strikeouts in 24 games. But, Sardinha displayed his potential power with three home runs, five doubles and nine RBIs.
"The winter league had really good pitching, so right now, I'm trying to make adjustments quickly at the higher levels," Sardinha says. "It gave me a good look at pitchers that throw around the strike zone, and how they're going to pitch you. So, that helped me with my approach and shortening everything out."
Eventually, Sardinha hopes to advance to the Rockies' triple-A affiliate in Colorado Springs, and ultimately, to the Major League club.
"I've just got to play hard everyday, run everything out and make the plays on defense," he says. "They've seen what I can do, and now, I've just got to play with a passion ... and hit too."
