Duke Sardinha
From BR Bullpen
Duke K. Sardinha
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 200 lb.
- School Pepperdine University
- High School Kamehameha High School
- Born November 24, 1980 in Honolulu, HI USA
The brother of Dane Sardinha and Bronson Sardinha, Duke Sardinha begins 2007 with the Tulsa Drillers.
The Colorado Rockies took Sardinha in the 41st round of the 2001 amateur draft, 40 rounds after younger brother Bronson, but he did not sign. Returning to college, Duke hit .315/.378/.531 as a senior and was chosen by the Rockies in the 19th round of the 2002 amateur draft.
Duke was assigned to the Casper Rockies and batted .248/.360/.343 in 41 games. He split 2003 between the Tri-City Dust Devils (.235/.324/.429) and the Asheville Tourists (.285/.356/.494 in 42 games with 18 doubles). 2004 was lost almost entirely to a left wrist injury - Sardinha only played 11 games for the Visalia Oaks, going 1 for 30 with 4 walks and 12 strikeouts. 2005 was about as bad - a fractured right wrist left him playing only 9 games with Asheville (4 for 31, 5 K) and the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (1 walk).
Sardinha was finally healthy in 2006, when he hit .235/.302/.399 with 112 strikeouts in 371 AB for the Modesto Nuts. He fielded just .886 in 69 games at third base, almost leading California League third basemen with 23 errors (2 off the pace) despite not playing half his team's games there. In winter ball in his home state, he hit .214/.257/.414 for the Waikiki BeachBoys.
Sardinha begins 2007 with the Tulsa Drillers and is hitting .242/.329/.530 after 28 games.
Sources: 2002-2007 Baseball Almanacs, 2007 Rockies Media Guide, MILB.com, The Baseball Cube, Hawaii Winter Baseball
