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Originally Posted by DJ's left nut
People said that about Lynn for years - turns out he just didn't have a good way to get lefties out.
Sometimes what appears to be a mental issue really is an arsenal problem. Duffy's giving up a .340+ career OBP against off-handed hitters and with so much of baseball being RH, that's obviously a hell of a problem.
He doesn't appear to be shying away from RH hitters (he comes inside against them more than in years past). That's usually the first thing to look for with guys that are mentally defeated by off-handed hitters - they pitch away, away, away over and over again.
It could be that he's now psyched out by them, so in that regard, perhaps it's a mental problem...but one borne of a lack of available options. If he could tinker with his breaker or change (really, the change should be his best weapon against RHers), perhaps he could break through that wall.
I guess what I'm saying is that there's a lot of selection bias at this level. Most guys that are truly soft just don't get this far. Generally when something appears to be mental, especially with pitchers, its really just a problem with his arsenal and an innate knowledge that he's fighting uphill against every RHer. If he could just have a little more success against RHers, it may be what puts him over the top.
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Duffy is a mental headcase. Shields helped him out quite a bit to control the emotion, but that's his biggest problem. When he is on, he is a solid #3 pitcher.