DudaOne man’s pain is another man’s game.

With Ike Davis likely being shelved for the rest of the year with an oblique strain, it now opens the door for Lucas Duda to reassert himself with the Mets.

For those rallying around Duda to get his chance at first base—his “comfortable” position—you all got your wish. The opportunity Duda has in front of him couldn’t have come more fortuitously. These next 24 games will give Duda an appropriate window to collectively wow us.

It’s now or never. But are 24 games enough time to properly evaluate Duda in advance of next season?

Maybe not, but Duda is definitely doing well in his chance. On Wednesday against the Braves, Duda went 3-5 with a double and a home run. In the four games since Davis went down, Duda is 7-14 with a home run and four RBI’s. He’s clearly doing his best to make a great, and perhaps, final impression.

When the Mets’ season ends, the front office will have the unenviable task of trying to figure out who they want to roll with at first base when next season comes around. Will it be Duda? Will it be Davis? Or perhaps, will the Mets go outside the organization and find help elsewhere at first?

Many Mets’ fans want Davis out on the next flight out of JFK, as he has continued to disappoint in his first four injury-plagued seasons with the club. Can he ever capitalize on the upside he showed early in his career?

Regardless, Duda has a big opportunity in front of him and now that he has a clear shot at playing time (and at a position he likes playing at), here’s wishing he can grab a hold of it.

Whatever the end result will be, Sandy Alderson has to trade at least one of Duda and Davis this offseason. There is no way, no how, that both Duda and Davis can be on the same team next year. Both are very similar in the way they play the game. They are both hulking, slugging-types, and for the most part hit or miss.

So, outside of Josh Satin getting some at-bats against some lefties, Duda will get the lion’s share of at-bats at first for the last month.

Will he impress enough in this audition or will the Mets go back to Davis. It’s a dilemma that will ultimately have to be solved soon. Whoever is patrolling first base in 2014, will be a major storyline as we get set to end the 2013 season.

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12 comments on “Lucas Duda, this is your last chance

  • Brian Joura

    2013 OPS+

    130 – Lucas Duda
    88 — Ike Davis

    Yet somehow it’s always Duda who has to prove himself…

  • Jerry Grote

    For the life of me, I don’t know why Mets fans/our GM hates Lucas Duda so much. I mean, I’m sorry the guy looks like he *should* hit 40 HR.

    But all he does is produce above average numbers. Newsflash: there’s nothing wrong with this team getting 20 HR from 1B, especially if it’s wrapped in a 780-820 OPS with around 80 BB a year. If you doubled his “counting” numbers this year, he’d look an awful lot like Paul Goldschmidt did in 2012. Anybody here got a problem with that?

    Mets should be feeding ABs to Brown and Duda. Here are two guys that just might be able to show defined power strokes. Sit EYJ down, put an outfield together of MdD, JL and AB. Give ABs to Satin, not Turner, at 3B.

  • steevy

    He just missed a 2 homer game last night.I think he will produce.And than the Mets will trade him and give Ike yet another chance…

  • blastingzone

    I just hope 24 games is enough to show Sandy he is the mets first baseman next year and beyond? It would allow the mets not to have to worry about first and to focus on the outfield
    and SS! Funny if Duda turned out to be the answer and was here all the time!!

  • Reese

    Why does this situation with Duda and Davis remind me so much of the “great” Kaz Matzui and Jose Reyes? They moved Reyes out of his natural slot to give the opportunity to Matsui, but then realized their mistake and dispatched Kaz to Colorado. They’re slow learners in Queens.

    • steevy

      At least that time they got rid of the right guy.I wouldn’t bet on it this time.

  • steevy

    As far as Satin,he should be playing third against lefties not first.Duda needs to hit lefties,and I think he can hit them well enough.

  • Name

    I hope your next article is “Ike Davis, Goodbye and Good riddance”

  • Chris F

    The love of Ike is truely astounding. Advocates cling to a magical rookie year so long ago it was in a different generation and the second half of last year…you remember, when the Mets were so far out of contention that pitching to Ike meant very little in either game outcome or pennant race outcome. I firmly believe he got hot as other teams could care less about the Mets. My question: Where was Ike in the first half, when that kind of production could have significantly changed the course of the summer trade season had we been 5 or more games up.

  • rds900

    I really hope Duda wows for the rest of the year to enhance his trade value. Davis is the far better option. The Mets need his power in the middle of the lineup. It’s not even a close call.

    • Joe Vito

      I agree Ike Davis is a legend with his .205 and don’t forget his superior attitude. His 9 homers is also very appealing.

  • Metsense

    The average NL firstbaseman hits 22 HR’s with a 770 OPS. Duda has a career 778 OPS and 41 hr’s in 1030 AB’s or around 20 homeruns for 516 AB’s. Duda/Satin should reach that mark in 2014 and won’t cost the Mets 3-4 million. It would solve the inconsistent first base production that the Mets have suffered through the past two years. It is time to move forward and away from Davis and give Duda his first chance at first base.

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