Lucas Duda is the quiet man carrying a loud stick.
A season that began with the Mets questioning whether Ike Davis or Duda should be the team’s starting first baseman could end with the latter regarded among the National League’s elite power hitters.
In a breakout season, Duda just completed a monster road trip for the Mets, in which he hit four homers in five games. Included was a two-homer performance at Dodger Stadium on Sunday that increased his season total to 26, which ranked third in the NL entering Monday.
Duda, afraid of jinxing himself, wants no part of analyzing his success this season. A typical postgame interview session with Duda begins with him praising the Mets’ pitching or a big play made by a teammate. If Duda homered, he might grudgingly admit he got a pitch up in the strike zone that he could handle.
Former Mets hitting coach Dave Hudgens, who was fired by the team in late May, has watched from a distance and is convinced Duda’s improvement is simply a matter of hitting pitches he was previously barely missing.
“I think he was just late a lot,” Hudgens said Monday. “He would be late and foul pitches back that he is probably squaring up now.
“There were a lot of times where everybody said he took pitches early, which he did, there is no question. But I think a lot of times he was just late on balls as far as timing went.”
Hudgens admits a point of emphasis with the 28-year old Duda entering the year was convincing him that sometimes the first pitch is the best pitch. Too often, even early this season, Duda was stuck in pitchers’ counts.
“We had meetings with him in spring training about trying to get more aggressive on the first pitch,” Hudgens said. “Get something you can hit out of the ballpark — he turned it around and I’m happy for him.
“If they throw a first-pitch fastball where he can do damage on it, obviously he has the ability to change the game so you want him up there ready to hit.”
The Mets got their first look at Duda late in the 2010 season and were smitten with his power potential.
But with Davis the preferred option at first base, Duda struggled to find consistent playing time.
And when Davis emerged from a dreadful first-half slump in 2012 to finish with 32 homers, it appeared the organization had its answer at first base.
But Davis slumped again last year and was demoted to Triple-A Las Vegas. The Mets ended their misguided attempt to make Duda an outfielder and went into the offseason with two first basemen.
Hudgens said it was a “tough call” between Davis and Duda. The Mets ultimately traded Davis to the Pirates three weeks into the season.
“Ike we liked because he had done it before,” Hudgens said. “But we liked Duda just a little bit better.”
And in Hudgens’ mind, there is no question Duda can continue at this level.
“He’s one of the stronger guys in the league, he’s got a great swing, a good eye at the plate and he works hard,” Hudgens said.
“The only thing holding him back probably was playing time and just confidence. Every hitter loses confidence from time to time. He just had to have that one breakout year to have his confidence. I think you’re seeing what he is capable of doing.”