Another change is the gradual disappearance of the split-fingered pitch.

“For a long period of time,” Duncan said, “everybody was throwing it. But when the hitters stopped swinging at them and the pitchers had to throw them for strikes, then it wasn’t such a good pitch anymore. You’ve got hitters who could (not) care less if they strike out. What they want to do is hit the ball in the air.

“And, actually, that’s how you score runs — extra-base hits. You don’t get very many extra-base hits hitting the ball on the ground.”

When he watched the Cardinals’ staff last year, Duncan saw something different, too.

“Losing Lance Lynn really hurt them a lot,” he said. “And they lost (Michael) Wacha for a while. But the thing that stood out to me more than anything was their all-around lack of defensive play in the infield and outfield.

“That club always had been known for solid defense. And they not only made physical mistakes but they made a lot more mental mistakes than you expect from a Cardinals team.”

Before he took the consultant job with the D-backs, Duncan said he was offered the team’s pitching coach’s position.