In his rookie ball days, Osvaldo Duarte was a relatively hyped prospect known for setting stopwatches ablaze, with some feel for hitting. The latter stagnated early on, as his game showed an alarming amount of swing and miss in full-season play. He was able to produce fairly well in spite of it with Quad Cities in 2016, slashing .272/.321/.422 with fifteen steals, though he was caught 9 times. This performance at age 20 earned him a promotion to High-A Lancaster, where he saw his development stall.
His strikeout rate with the JetHawks ballooned to 34% and he reached base at just a .