Who had Lucas Duda leading all New York players in homers (18) and RBIs (56) approaching the trade deadline?
Good for Duda, whose hitting skills are blossoming better late than never. He provides another symbol that most players are not Mike Trout, great from Day 1, and patience is needed. There were other teams, such as the Rays (who tried several times to obtain Duda), that saw the potential for Duda to provide impact with his bat.
But there also is bad here for both New York teams in the initial statement that Duda leads New York in homers.
The Mets just completed a 10-game trip in which they hit just five homers — four by Duda and one by Curtis Granderson. Duda and Granderson (15) are the only Mets in double figures in homers and have accounted for 33 of the team’s 79 homers (41.8 percent). Perhaps David Wright will rediscover his power stroke or Travis d’Arnaud will grow into it.
But for now this underscores how badly the Mets need to find another power source either in trade or free agency — thus, it was probably not great for them that Troy Tulowitzki and his no-trade clause attended a Yankees game Sunday to see his idol Derek Jeter.
As for the Yankees, they did have a 7-3 homestand. But the underlying power problems remain. They gave up as many homers (10) as they hit and — due to their defensive problems in the middle infield and rotation shortcomings — they are not going to make the playoffs unless they become some version of the Bronx Bombers, which is made more difficult by Mark Teixeira’s now-you-see-it, now-you-don’t health.
Consider that on this homestand visiting players Cincinnati’s Brayan Pena, Texas’s J.P. Arencibia and Toronto’s Jose Bautista each hit two homers despite playing short series, and no Yankee except Carlos Beltran (3) and Brian McCann (2) could match that. Perhaps the positive is that Beltran and McCann will provide much more power in the second half than they did in the first.
Pena and Bautista joined Oakland’s Brandon Moss and Yoenis Cespedes as visiting players to have two-homer games. McCann is the only Yankee to do that this year at Yankee Stadium.
It is not an easy trade market to find power in, unless a team wants to gamble on a DH such as Adam Dunn. In theory, he could fit the Yankees’ short dimensions if Beltran continues to progress and can move from DH back to right field. Dunn, a free agent after this season, makes $15 million, so he is likely to pass through waivers and be available in August as well. Philadelphia right fielder Marlon Byrd (20 homers) makes more sense to the Yankees as a two-way player.
And, for the long term, what was bad for the Mets (Tulowitzki being at Yankee Stadium) will be good — in the power department — for the Yankees should Colorado shop its shortstop in the offseason.