Samuel Deduno Lake (born July 2, 1983) is a Dominican former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

and

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

Playing career

Colorado Rockies

Deduno was signed as an undrafted free agent by the

in 2003. Deduno led the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

in strike outs in 2007, but missed the 2008 season with an injury. Deduno was added to the

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

for the Rockies after the 2008 season. He was called up to the Rockies on August 26, 2010.

San Diego Padres

On January 28, 2011, He was claimed off waivers by the

. On May 23, Deduno was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Blake Tekotte. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A

Tucson Padres The Tucson Padres were a Minor League Baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, that competed in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). They were the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team moved to Tucson from Portland, Oregon, for the 2011 ...

on May 26. He elected free agency following the season on November 2.

Minnesota Twins

On November 18, 2011, Deduno signed a minor league contract with the

. On July 5, 2012, he had his contract purchased by the Twins. Deduno recorded his first win on July 22, in a game against the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

. In 2012, Deduno pitched 6–5 with a 4.44 ERA in 15 starts with 6.5 K/9 and 1.08 K/BB. He was sent outright to Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

on November 2. On November 5, Deduno signed a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training to stay with the Twins. Deduno made 18 starts with the Twins in 2013, and he was 8–8 with a 3.83 ERA, striking out 67 in 108 innings. Deduno opened 2014 in the Twins bullpen after he lost the 5th starter spot to

Kyle Gibson Kyle Benjamin Gibson (born October 23, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers, Philadelphi ...

. He made 7 appearances in the bullpen, having a 2.89 ERA in 18.2 innings before being moved to the rotation to replace the injured Mike Pelfrey. Deduno didn't fare so well in the rotation, where in 8 starts, he was 3–5 with a 6.52 ERA and a 1.603 WHIP in 38.2 innings, or less than 5 innings per start. He was moved back to the bullpen on June 17 in favor of

Yohan Pino Yohan Jose Alana Pino (born December 26, 1983) is a Venezuelan-Colombian former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals, and in the KBO League for the KT Wiz. Play ...

Houston Astros

On August 30, 2014, Deduno was claimed off waivers by the

. In 14 appearances for Houston in 2014 and

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, Deduno registered a 5.76 ERA with 26 strikeouts. He was sent outright to Triple-A

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in ...

on November 10. He elected free agency following the season on November 12.

Baltimore Orioles

On February 19, 2016, Deduno signed a minor league contract with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

. Deduno had undergone hip surgery in the offseason and was not going to be able to pitch until mid season. He made 10 appearances for the rookie–level

Gulf Coast League Orioles The Florida Complex League Orioles are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Before 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Orioles. The team plays its home g ...

, compiling a 1.50 ERA with 23 strikeouts across 18 innings pitched. Deduno was released by the Orioles organization on August 9.

Coaching career

Deduno joined the

organization as a minor league coach prior to the 2020 season. Deduno assumed the role of pitching coach for the Dominican Summer League Rockies for the 2024 season. He reprised his role for the 2025 season.

Pitching style

Deduno relies mostly, especially against right-handed hitters, on a

four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch (baseball), pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the fastest ball thrown by a pitcher. It is s ...

(89–92 mph) and

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

(80–84 mph). He throws a small amount of

two-seam fastball A two-seam fastball is a pitch in baseball and softball. It is a variant of the straight fastball. The pitch has the speed of a fastball and can also include late-breaking action caused by varying the pressure of the index and middle fingers on t ...

s, sliders, and

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball, but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced spee ...

s against left-handed hitters. The curve is by far his most common pitch in two-strike counts and when he is ahead in the count. His four-seamer has the smallest amount of "rise", or vertical break, among all major league starters since 2007. This sinker-like effect gives him the best ground ball/fly ball ratio (6:1) among four-seamers in that group. Remarking on its unusual movement, former Twins catcher

Ryan Doumit Ryan Matthew Doumit ( ; born April 3, 1981) is an American former professional baseball catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played the first seven years of his career for the Pittsburgh Pirates, then two for the Minnesota Twins, and one ...

said, "His fastball's unlike anything I've ever seen. ... It's like catching a 92-mile-an-hour knuckleball." Deduno has a high

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an "inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults over ...

rate, walking 55 batters in his first 83 innings.

Awards and honors

* 2007

Pitcher of the Week * 2004 Pioneer League Pitcher of the Year * 2004 Pioneer League Post-Season All-Star

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deduno, Samuel 1983 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players Asheville Tourists players Casper Rockies players Colorado Rockies players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Gulf Coast Orioles players Houston Astros players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen Minnesota Twins players Modesto Nuts players Baseball players from La Romana, Dominican Republic Rochester Red Wings players San Diego Padres players Tri-City Dust Devils players Tucson Padres players Tulsa Drillers players World Baseball Classic players of the Dominican Republic 2013 World Baseball Classic players 2017 World Baseball Classic players