If we are honest with ourselves, we admit that we’re not always objective. I often joke that I know this is true because everyone says their kid is the cutest and the smartest, when in truth, the the cutest and smartest kid is my son. 

From the beginning, he would cozy up next to me while I watched the Mets (or Rangers in the Winter) as he goes to sleep. He loves baseball and the Mets because his Daddy loves baseball and the Mets. I’m a huge fan of Lucas Duda because of my son. 

It all started during Spring Training when Lucas Duda ripped a double down the right field line. When my son heard Gary Cohen yell Duda’s name during the call, he began saying Duda. Since that time, when I ask him who plays first base for the Mets, he says, “Duda!”  For Father’s Day, he got me a Duda jersey (told you he’s smart). Naturally, we went to Citi Field to get our Lucas Duda growth chart. By the way, if you’re reading this Lucas, I’m taller than you are and my son is a lot shorter. 

When the season started, it was looking great for Duda and our Duda Baby Fanclub.  In April, he was .325/.427/.488 with two homeruns. In May, he was .276/.366/.582 with seven homeruns. Since?  It’s been ugly; real ugly. He’s hit .160/.253/.358 with four homeruns. He was a big reason for the Mets’ hot start, and he’s been a reason for their offensive struggles. 

I keep in mind last year he hit .253/.349/.481 with 30 homeruns and 92 RBIs. Last year, he had a great July, bad August, and terrific September. By looking over this year’s and last year’s stats, his slumps and hot streaks are prolonged. The Uribe and Johnson acquisition has hopefully taking some pressure off of him. He responded Saturday by hitting two homeruns.

I still think Lucas Duda will be a big part of the team this year. He actively seeks to become a better player. He is hitting more line drives this year. He’s amongst the league leaders in hard hit ball percentage. We have to hope these are indicators he wasn’t a one year wonder. Looking at the current roster, he’s the only true power threat. 

As you can tell, I’m a bigger Duda fan than most (literally and figuratively), but I think we all want him to turn things around. If he doesn’t, I’ll always have a soft spot for him while I hope the Mets upgrade the position next year. If he does turn it around, we’re talking playoffs. If so, I’d love to recreate this photo in October.