PORT ST. LUCIE — Lucas Duda’s batting-practice sessions have fast become the best show at the Mets’ spring training complex.
Whether it was several titanic blasts to right field yesterday or almost effortlessly slapping the ball over the left-field fence, the 26-year-old Duda had no problem pleasing the group of fans pressed against the chain-link fence surrounding Field 7.
“It’s just the wind, man — it’s the wind’s fault,” Duda joked on a humid day with no trace of even a breeze.
The Mets saw enough of Duda last season to understand it’s not the wind. If his eight home runs over the final two months were not enough, he also drove in 50 runs in 301 at-bats for the season.
That performance has the Mets optimistic they have a right fielder who will develop into an elite power hitter.
Duda is sometimes compared to a young Jason Giambi. The similarities are obvious to Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, who drafted Giambi in Oakland.
“I think they will end up having a similar profile: Power guys with an excellent eye at the plate,” Alderson said. “If you have that combination, you can be a superstar.
“Especially for a left-handed hitter, if you’ve got power, the high on-base percentage, the approach and you can hit left-handed pitching, that’s [Reds first baseman] Joey Votto. It’s a handful of guys, and [Duda] has already demonstrated that he has that potential.”
Terry Collins last week predicted Ike Davis might feast on 35 “mistakes” this season, but the manager was cautious yesterday not to set the bar too high for Duda.
“We all know he has the potential to be very dangerous,” Collins said. “But when the season starts, it’s about putting a good swing on a pitch you can hit, and when you do, hopefully you get it up in the air.
“In the course of 550-600 at-bats, you’re going to get a lot of mistakes. The idea then is to put a good swing on that mistake and do some damage. He has the ability to do it, but I’m not putting any number on what I’m coming to expect.”
Hitting coach Dave Hudgens said he gets a thrill watching Duda at the plate. When Hudgens makes suggestions to Duda, it’s usually about not having too much movement in his swing.
“I think when he came up and down [from the minors] before he was trying too hard,” Hudgens said. “When he felt good, he just got too big — too much movement, his swing got too big. When you start playing every day you get a better feel for it, he’s a smart guy and he makes good adjustments.”
Duda got drilled in the right leg with a Matt Harvey fastball during batting practice yesterday, but shook it off. Collins compared it to throwing a ball against a wall.
Duda is still a man of few words, but even that’s a vast improvement for him over last year, when he often had a deer-in-the-headlights look.
“I’m more comfortable,” Duda said. “I’ve played here almost a year, I know the guys and I know Terry, what to expect and what he wants, and I’m going to have fun this year and win.”
Alderson said Duda isn’t missing any tools offensively.
“He’s the complete offensive package,” Alderson said. “Big guy, power hitter, good approach at the plate, hits left-handed pitching, so it’s a complete offensive package.”