MLB

Duda big part of Mets’ 2013 plan

ATLANTA — Lucas Duda doesn’t know how to measure his season other than to say it has been disappointing.

“It wasn’t the season I wanted to have, getting sent down [to Triple-A] and things like that,” Duda said before the Mets lost 2-0 to the Braves Saturday night at Turner Field. “But come back and battle back [in 2013] and see what happens.”

The Mets certainly have not given up on Duda, who still is viewed as part of the club’s long-term solution. They only had to watch him slam a three-run homer against Tim Hudson in the seventh inning on Friday night to be reminded of his potential.

The key will be getting a more consistent Duda next year and finding a position for him. As The Post reported last week, Ike Davis could be used as trade bait this winter to help address other needs in the lineup. If Davis is dealt, Duda would become the starting first baseman.

But if Davis were to return, that would mean sticking with Duda in the outfield and hoping for the best. The organization is not inclined to deal Duda, believing his potential outweighs what he could bring back in a trade.

Duda, who went 0-for-4 last night, is batting .241 with 15 homers and 57 RBIs — far from a bust, but hardly consistent enough for a lineup that has not produced nearly enough runs in the second half.

BOX SCORE

“We are going to count a lot on Lucas Duda,” manager Terry Collins said, referring to next season. “We know what he can do, we’ve seen it, he’s working on a couple of things offensively that we think are going to help. Just like Ike, those two guys in the middle of the lineup, it’s tough to find big-time power. We’ve just got to get it out of them.”

A slumping Duda was sent to Triple-A Buffalo on July 24 and initially moped. Part of the frustration stemmed from Duda’s belief he should have been given a longer leash by the Mets, who stuck with Davis during his early-season struggles.

But once Duda’s outlook improved, the organization began seeing glimpses of the same player whom some Mets officials believed was capable of hitting 30 homers this season.

“He wanted to prove to us, ‘I belong here and I’m going to stay here,’ ” Collins said. “He’s worked so hard at making adjustments at the plate, you kind of like where it is going to head.”

Entering last night, Duda was batting .253 with three homers and 13 RBIs since his return from Buffalo on Aug. 26. Collins continues to play him at first base against lefty starters over Davis, who still has not shown the Mets he can handle left-handed pitching with any regularity.

Duda can stay in the lineup full-time with a low batting average next year, Collins said, if the power numbers improve.

“There’s a lot of guys in this league who are very dangerous, and you look up and they might be hitting .230 but they also have 35 or 40 homers,” Collins said. “We know Lucas is a better hitter than what he’s done this year. He’s had a tough year. We saw last year a guy who uses the field to hit, can hit lefties, so we’ve got to get him back.”

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Chris Young (4-9) allowed two earned runs in six solid innings in his final start of the season. The Mets (73-85) are guaranteed a fourth straight fourth-place finish in the NL East. … David Wright remained in the game after getting hit below the belt with a Craig Kimbrel pitch in the ninth. Collins planned to give Wright today off regardless. … R.A. Dickey’s final start of the season will come Tuesday in Miami. … Jon Niese reportedly will have a procedure in the offseason to permanently correct a rapid heartbeat that has surfaced at times in recent seasons.