Former Pope pitcher Duane Underwood’s first game in the Major Leagues Monday night wasn’t a successful one for his team on the scoreboard. 
His start for the Chicago Cubs lasted only four innings in a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
But Underwood, who was called up from the minor leagues over the weekend, earned a positive impression from Cubs manager Joe Maddon before he took the mound at Dodger Stadium:
“He really has reinvented himself over the past couple of years. He really has adopted a new work ethic. He got himself in shape.”
Underwood, 23, received a $1 million signing bonus when he was drafted by the Cubs in 2012, after leading Pope to the Georgia high school playoffs and starring for the East Cobb Astros.
He passed up a scholarship offer to the University of Georgia to become one of the first major prospects chosen by general manager Theo Epstein, who assembled the Cubs’ team that won the 2016 World Series.
Underwood has been touted as the first home-grown pitching prospect to have a crack at the Cubs’ rotation since Epstein took over. But he’s been inconsistent in his professional career and has had some sore arm issues. He is 3-7 in Iowa in his first season at the Triple-A minor league level, which is right below the majors.
Underwood admitted in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times that he’s felt the frustration of his struggles:
“Things weren’t going my way, and I was playing the blame game instead of just looking in the mirror. . . I think I’m on the right path right now.”
His call-up to the Cubs is temporary as he was filling in for a pitcher who had been on parental leave.
But those tracking Underwood’s progress believe it’s only a matter of time before he’ll come back up to the Cubs to stay.
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