Welker attended Woodinville High School in Woodinville, Washington. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 34th round (1023rd overall) in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft, but chose to attend Seminole State College. He was drafted by the Mariners again, this time in the 39th round (1163rd overall) of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft, but he did not sign again. He played for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots in the Alaska Baseball League in 2006. In August 2006, he transferred to the University of Arkansas, where he played college baseball for the Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team in the Southeastern Conference.\n', '

The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Welker in the second round, with the 68th overall selection, of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. He signed with the team on June 17, 2007. The Pirates initially planned to keep Welker as a starting pitcher. He struggled in his first professional seasons, before achieving better results. Welker was added to the Pirates\' 40 man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft after the 2011 season.\n', '

Welker was called up by the Pirates from the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians on May 8, 2013. He was optioned back to Indianapolis on May 11. Welker was called up again on June 20, and made his major league debut three days later, against the Los Angeles Angels, pitching a scoreless eighth inning in relief. He threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings in all for the Pirates before being optioned back to the minors. He maintained a 3-4 record plus a 3.25 ERA in 61 innings (41 games) with 9 saves and 64 strikeouts while in their AAA affiliate.\n', '

Return to Duke Welker Autograph Profile