Andrew Dutkanych, RHP, Brebeuf Jesuit HS- Indianapolis
Dutkanych is an impressive young pitcher that has a chance to be a mid-rotation starter thanks to an above average fastball that currently sits in the mid 90s (92-97) which he pairs well with his plus or better breaking balls. He has a knack for spinning his mid 80s slider and low 70s curveball while also working on a changeup to round out the arsenal. He easily has some of the best stuff in this year's draft class but will need to improve his control and command as well as continue to maintain his velocity deeper into games (nothing uncommon for most high school pitchers). Andrew is a Vanderbilt commit that more than likely will hear his name called on Day 1 of this year’s MLB Draft.
I had a chance to chat with Andrew recently and talk about his goals, his experience against the elite prep bats in the 2022 draft and his interests outside baseball. Below is a transcript.
Baseball Q&A
James Weisser: What first got you interested in playing baseball?
Andrew Dutkanych: My dad was and still is a huge Yankees fan so we always watched them play since I was a really little kid. Growing up my favorite player to watch was Derek Jeter.
JW: At what age did you first realize you had a special talent for pitching?
AD: I was always pretty good, but when I was 14 I started getting some college interests and that's when I realized I was a little bit better than I thought I was.
JW: What does it mean to you to be considered one of the best players in this year's draft at your position?
AD: It means a lot especially when you consider all the guys. I've gotten to watch a lot of them over the past few summers and there are a lot of good ones in this year's class. For me to be considered one of the best it's really cool.
JW: What motivates you?
AD: I want to pitch in the majors and have that be my career/life, to be a long-time major league pitcher is what motivates me.
JW: Which major league pitchers do you enjoy watching or learning from?
AD: I enjoy watching Jacob deGrom, Gerrit Cole, and Corbin Burnes to name a few. I really enjoy watching the best pitchers in the game, seeing how they operate and go about their business out on the mound.
JW: What's one of your best attributes, something you help bring to a team?
AD: My ability to compete, I look at it like no matter how good or bad my stuff is that day I'm gonna go out there and give my team the best chance to win, keep it close even if I don't have my best that day. I feel that's something that often gets overlooked by data and numbers.
JW: What's a part of your game that you're working to improve?
AD: Right now I'm trying to improve locating my curveball better so I can land it for more strikes, it's been a little more wild than I'd like recently.
JW: What are your goals for this season?
AD: Really my only goal at this point is to win a state championship. It's the biggest thing on my mind at this point.
JW: What's your favorite part about the game of baseball?
AD: I love the feeling of control I get when I'm on the mound. I enjoy that feeling that as a pitcher I control about 50% of the game and it's an awesome feeling to be the one out there with all eyes on you combined with the fact that as a pitcher you get to be such a big part of your team's success is really cool.
JW: What's something you've learned about yourself from playing the game of baseball?
AD: I've learned from playing over the past few summers to trust my stuff and to trust my preparation and to work just like I've practiced it. I've found whenever I try to get careful things start getting out of whack.
JW: Since I love to talk about hitters and you've faced a few that have a chance to go very early on draft day over these past few summers, what it was like for you to face some of these guys (Druw Jones, Termarr Johnson, Elijah Green, Jackson Holliday)?
AD: Well I had a ton of success this past summer and the only guy I can remember that was able to hit me consistently was Druw Jones. He honestly owned me in the summer and he was just a really tough out, he has a really short swing, really accurate hands, and a really good eye. He's gonna be a really good pick. I faced Termarr Johnson a lot and I'm pretty sure he got a base hit off of me the first time we faced off and then I think I struck him out 2 or 3 times during our time with Team USA. Termarr is a really good hitter with really good contact skills but I was able to get him to chase my stuff a little bit more. Elijah Green I only faced once and I was able to strike him out, I think my stuff matched up really well against a hitter like him. I generally do well against big swinging right handed hitters, I usually can get them out a lot of times swinging with my slider. I was teammates with Jackson Holliday these past few summers so we never got to face each other.
Interests outside of Baseball
JW: What are some things you enjoy doing outside of baseball?
AD: I try to do well in school, education is important to me. I play French Horn in the band at school which is fun. Outside of school I enjoy hanging out with my group of friends which I'm super close with, sometimes we go golfing or bowling or just hang out.
JW: What's your favorite food?
AD: I love steak and mashed potatoes.
JW: What's your favorite type of music?
AD: I like listening to Kid Cudi a lot and Kanye and I also kinda like Flint Rap which is from Michigan.
JW: What's your favorite movie? (Baseball or Non-Baseball)
AD: Moneyball. It's probably because I've watched it over 15 times. Normally if I'm not sure what to watch I'll usually put it on.