http://www.nj.com/mets/index.ssf/2013/02/mets_lucas_duda.html#incart_river

Glad he's trying. It will be interesting to see what Hudgens does in his second year as hitting coach. I don't miss HoJo.

I think there is still hope for Duda. If he makes some corrections at the plate.

What I took from that is, do not expect consistency from Duda in 2013, and hope he gets it by 2014. Also, it looks like Hudgens is going for a better average as opposed to power, which I agree with. As Ted Williams used to preach, 'if you hit right, you're HRs will come'. I still do not think Duda will hit 25 this year. I will be happy if he tops 20. It would be good if he can get near .292 again though.

Like you said if he just trie to make good contact with the ball and get hits
Home will come.

<<<<What I took from that is, do not expect consistency from Duda in 2013, and hope he gets it by 2014. Also, it looks like Hudgens is going for a better average as opposed to power, which I agree with. As Ted Williams used to preach, 'if you hit right, you're HRs will come'. I still do not think Duda will hit 25 this year. I will be happy if he tops 20. It would be good if he can get near .292 again though. >>>>

True, but Hudgens needs to respect the hitter for who he is. Last year, I feel he tinkered way too much with guys like Davis and Murphy. The year before, he got to Wright.

Some of these guys have made it to the majors as hitters, and you can't suddenly turn them in Luis Castillo.
Same thing with the pitching staff... As soon as some of these guys make it with what they do best, Warthen tries to convert them. Look at what he did to Harvey after only 1 start.

Really??? Fascinating. You think?

So you want Duda trying to crush every ball because he thinks he should be a HR hitter? You want him hitting towering pop ups and striking out while hitting .250 or below? OR should he try to change his approach to actually hit well? IF he were doing what he should be doing, I would agree with you. If you watch Duda's swing, when he is in a groove, he hits laser beam line drives, not moon shot HRs. Duda is actually more of a doubles hitter (if he had any speed). The HRs he does hit just go over the wall, but they do so on line drives that are crushed. It is when he tries to elevate the ball he creates huge holes in his swing. If you read the article, what Hudgens was saying was, he is trying just reduce the 'noise' in Duda's approach to get him back to where he used to be just hitting the ball. He is not trying to change Duda, more so return him to a former state.

Harvey was pitching great, and there was no need to change. If you think Duda hit well last year, and that should be the goal, well the team may be in big trouble.

Why? He could of had a full year in 2012. He played his way to Buffalo, where he didn't do much either. He's Ron Swoboda, without Swoboda's fielding skills (Swoboda was bad except for one great catch in the WS.) and Swoboda's pleasant personality. Duda is just a mistake hitter. No kid either. Hard to see him getting much better.

get him a tailor to bring up his pant legs, his is under his feet

Just as an aside...how many here think a batting or pitching coach can help anyone? I think they are far more likely to mess someone up than help them. Some kid has his way of doing something, has had enough success with it to make the major leagues (not easy) then some coach who in most cases was a lousy player, says, "Here's how you should do it." I just wonder how much help that is.

The best coaches are the ones that help a player stay doing what they do best. For a batter, maybe he develops a twitch, or in Duda's case starts wagging the bat, someting he did not do before. The Coach helps Duda get back to his old stance, through watching video, repetition, and finding a new comfort level. Or for a picther, if through the season they lose their arm slot on a specific pitch, a good PC will help them get back to where they once were. It is impossible to do this on your own. You need someone to watch you do your thing, because it will "feel right" even if it is not. They can also teach you something new. How to go the other way on an outside fastball, or to turn on an inside pitch. For a pitcher, they can learn a new grip, or pitching philosophy on how to not get in pitching rhythms - fastball curveball fastball curveball... whatever. Coaches are usefull, as long as they are not destructive. I think Hudgens does a much better job than Warthen.

Hey while they are at it maybe they can teach him how to catch and throw?

You're right, but Warthen sets the bar very low.

I cant complain about Hudgens. He was good in Oakland, and I think he has done a great job with the Mets too. I do like his approach to hitting; working counts, drawing walks, moving runners over. You are right to say sometimes you just need to do what you are comfortable with, and there were times last year when it hurt the team to take pitches to just take pitches. I would love for Warthen to be replaced, and I am surprised he has been here for as long as he has, but I hope Hudgens stays.

I am not crazy about Duda as a player and don't think he is a long term solution. To me, he is a big, slow guy who doesn't hit for power or average and plays bad defense on top of it. Just my opinion..He is not 22 either, he is what he is at this point. He got enough playing time to show what kind of player he is and frankly I wasn't impressed with anything about his game.

Well maybe he was trying too hard to hit HRs last season (b.c they brought the fences in),
seems he hits much better when he just hits line drives (he hit about .336 the second half of 2011).

I just have this feeling he is going to end up the Pelfrey of the outfield, great physical talent, too crazy to put it all together. I would not think twice about trading him. He aint getting any younger..

As fans, we read scouting reports and look at a players stats to assess potential. It is about as accurate as running a football draft because your read Kiper's report. Top prospects are determined by what scouts see. A guy like Puello looks like a bum to us but is listed as a top prospect. The point is Duda has had more than a little success ( Power and average) in AA and AAA. That success continued over half a season in 2011. Alderson, in an interview, specifically spoke about Duda's potential. In an outfield where cf and rf will be a platoon, only Duda will be a full time starter. That means the team thinks he has the most upside. Otherwise, Niewenhius or Cowgill or Brown or Baxter, etc., would be slotted as a full time starter. I am willing to give him a chance. Other than Davis, who else has 25+ homer potential on this team????????