Fourth-round pick Matt Duffy 'grateful' for being drafted by the Red Sox
Growing up, Matt Duffy never had a favorite baseball team. The 21-year-old had always dreamed of being drafted by a major league club.
Duffy went into the draft with an open mind about where he could land. It’s safe to say, the right-hander is now a Red Sox fan.
During the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft, the Red Sox selected Duffy with the No. 115 overall out of Canisius College in Buffalo, NY.
“I never had a ‘favorite’ team growing up so I didn’t sway one direction or another when teams reached out,” said Duffy to BostonSportsJournal.com.
The new Sox hurler has agreed to a below-slot deal with the club, the final details have not been reported.
“It’s been a dream of mine since I was just a little guy playing rookie ball,” Duffy said in a Canisius athletic department statement following the draft. “To see it come to fruition for not only me, but for my parents, is an awesome feeling. I cannot wait to start working with the Red Sox pitching development team as I continue to make myself the best possible pitcher I can be.“
The draft process can be exciting, yet challenging for prospective collegiate athletes. Duffy had interest from many teams over the last year, but it was Boston that showed more than general interest in the righty.
“Throughout the fall and winter, I had several teams reach out to get to know me and that turned into teams coming out to watch me during the 2023 season. The Red Sox came out to watch me several times so I knew they had a general interest, maybe even more so than other teams,” said Duffy.
Boston flew Duffy to Fenway Park for a pre-draft workout. It was during this time, he became more familiarized with the people within the organization.
“I met many of the Boston front office,” said Duffy. "They seemed to like me enough to draft me in the fourth round and I am grateful for that.”
Duffy credits his father, Phil, for being the most influential person in his baseball life. His dad played in the Kansas City A’s system going 3-0 with a 3.09 ERA striking out 34 and walking 20 in 32 innings.
“He taught both my brother and I how to play. He taught us all the basics of pitching and was able to really show us his love for baseball. He always wanted to work with us growing up,” said Duffy in an interview prior to the draft.
“Whether it be going to the local park to flip us front toss or showing us mechanical videos on the computer of Roger Clemens or Roy Halladay. I have been trying to follow in his footsteps for many years, trying make it to pro ball like him. Seeing it come to fruition is a very wholesome feeling for the both of us,” added Duffy.
The righty pitches from a three-quarter arm slot and offers a three-pitch mix that won’t overpower hitters. Duffy throws a fastball that sits between 88-92 mph, a 79-81 mph changeup and 77-80 mph slider that has movement like a sweeper.
“I’m not someone who’s going to overpower hitters with velocity but my ability to make hitters off balance allows me to succeed. I induce weak contact and am able to get outs,” added Duffy.
His fastball has topped out 95 mph, which offers advanced command and control, and “plays above its velocity due to carry,” according to SoxProspects.com.
“The velocity is not going to stand out, but if you ask the hitters that face him, they’ll read the scouting report and it will say 89-92, and they’ll walk back to the dugout and say, 'There’s no way that’s 92. It seems a lot faster,'” said Canisius head coach Matt Mazurek.
Duffy’s changeup is his best pitch and offers good separation off his fastball. “Advanced feel and confidence in the pitch. Shows substantial late fade,” per SoxProspects.com.
During the draft, Red Sox amateur scouting director Devin Pearson kept telling reporters that the team had one focus, draft athletes.
“I’m going to sound like a broken record,” Pearson said. “But (the focus was) athletes and makeup, man. We’re betting on these really good athletes with bat speed and twitch and makeup that we believe in to reach their ceiling.”
The Sox envision Duffy as a starter and they intend to continue his development as one in the minors.
“We took (Matt) Duffy because we really liked the talent there,” Pearson said. “We think he’s going to be a starter.”
As he navigated the draft process, the Red Sox were one of the few teams that consistently scouted Duffy.
In three seasons at Canisius, Duffy’s posted a 17-5 record. He was 8-2 in 2022 and led the Griffins to the MAAC Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The right-hander was named to the MAAC All-Championship Team in 2021 and 2022, and was an All-MAAC first-team selection in 2022.
The new Sox pitching prospect joins fellow Canadian left-hander Nathan Landry in the system. The southpaw was drafted by the Sox during the 2021 draft. He’s quickly risen through the Red Sox system and is with High-A Greenville.
“I have not met Nathan yet,” said Duffy. “I know with both of us being Canadian, we’ll have lots to talk about.”
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