Comments on: Lucas Duda: This Guy Is Going To Be A Monster

By: Joey D.

Joey D. — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 05:40:06 +0000

Des,

Had to love it – why else would I have set myself up for such humiliation whenever swinging at a pitch, chasing after a grounder or being the closest one to a fly ball? Believe me, it wasn’t coincidental that I happened to emulate my favorite players like Marvelous Marv, Choo-Choo, Hot Rod, etc.

By: Des

Des — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 04:51:18 +0000

Joey D. — You loved the game. That’s priceless.

By: Metsie

Metsie — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 04:24:18 +0000

Yes Joey you said it better than I did!

Basically nothing in your head but the pitcher and the pitch.

By: Joey D.

Joey D. — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 03:36:37 +0000

The point Keith was making was once any hitter sets himself in the box, he must get all thoughts out of his mind so not to have anything distract him from focusing on the pitcher. He thinks about the pitch, location, count, how the pitcher worked him in past, etc. before he sets in. I remember that was the way it was for me as a kid; once I got myself dug into the batter’s box the thought process stopped and instinct and reaction took over…. usually in the form of a swing and a miss, unfortunately.

By: Metsie

Metsie — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 02:00:43 +0000

No he thought plenty, But not about his mechanics, Nor where he planned on hitting it or how he was going to swing.

He thought about the pitch, location, count and how the pitcher worked him in past at bats.

All to try and predict what and where it might come!

So he could get good wood on it and where it went it went!

By: Joey D.

Joey D. — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 01:46:36 +0000

Didn’t Keith Hernandez say when at the plate a batter shouldn’t think at all? The interpretation is having the discipline to concentrate solely on the pitcher and the pitch coming in. Hopefully Lucas will learn where his focus has to be and develop into the hitter we all think he has the potential to be.

By: Metsie

Metsie — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 00:59:12 +0000

If your thinkg about how far or how hard your going to hit it then you aren’t thinking about where the pitch is and the swing needed to make contact so any of those thoughts can be usefull!

By: Des

Des — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 00:35:07 +0000

Joey D. — I think you nailed it. None of our middle-of-the-batting-order guys need to swing for home runs. Their natural swing will be good enough. Regarding Duda, given his less than average defensive range and short experience, I think the new fences will help him in the outfield.

By: Joey D.

Joey D. — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 23:52:40 +0000

Hi Des,

With the fences further in and the walls lowered down, I don’t think we need worry about Ike or any others having to swing for gargantuan home runs any more. They can now just take their normal cuts and the home runs will come according to their natural talent. I just hope Bay and Wright remember what their normal cuts used to be.

By: Des

Des — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 23:44:40 +0000

Metsie — “I would hate all this HR Joy to start getting to these guys heads and have them all swinging for the fences….”

Good comment. Ike got better when he stopped trying for the gargantuan long balls. He made better contact, raised his average, and still hit the ball over the fence. He now acknowledges it.

By: NJstuckinTX

NJstuckinTX — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 22:16:45 +0000

When I first saw this thread, I expected a “T Agee” or “Metsie” type post spanning 8+ paragraphs of praise for Duda from Stick on this. I guess it’s tough to type a whole lot when you have a life sized cardboard cutout wrapped in a bearhug non stop…

By: srt

srt — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 22:00:03 +0000

Ha! I knew I’d see a comment from you. You were telling us about this kid before I really even knew who he was.

Looking forward to seeing what he brings this year.

By: Russell Zanca

Russell Zanca — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 21:53:02 +0000

He certainly has the chance to hit long balls in the Delgado mold. I know I’m hardly original in making this comparison but every time he came to the plate last year I saw Greg “The Bull” Luzinski (sp.?). No reason he cannot hit 40HRs and bat better than .250 over an entire season. I was pleasantly surprised with him in 2011, b/c he struck me as hitting for contact and being awfully patient as a power hitter.

I admit I have a lot of hope riding on him in 2012. Let’s hope he shines.

By: Joey D.

Joey D. — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 19:43:03 +0000

I love Duda too and think he’s going to be a great power hitter for many years to come (hopefully beyond when he becomes eligible for free agency).

But there seems to be a bit of of hypocrisy going on by praising how great Duda looks in batting practice while two days ago such statements with Murphy taking his swings were being mocked at.

By: any

any — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 19:26:30 +0000

It’s not a matter of when they get a RF. It is when they get rid of the clog in LF.

By: any

any — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 19:25:03 +0000

Glad to see more people piling in the Duda bandwagon that I have been driving for the last 2 years.

By: Bob L

Bob L — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 19:12:08 +0000

i’ve liked Duda for awhile. He has had consistently good .OPS stats from the beginning, and when he ‘grew into his size’ in 2010, i thought we had a good one. Looking forward to seeing him get better and better over next few years.

By: Connor

Connor — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 19:01:04 +0000

Noticed that too

By: t agee

t agee — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 18:29:35 +0000

2007, 2008 and 2009 Duda only really showed a good eye and no where enough power to justify 1B or LF considering base running and defense were below par although with his eye and size he certainly had projectability the fact is he only had 11 HR’s in 3 years of college and most one tool first basemen/LFers aren’t regarded as prospects simply because after those positions are exhausted as possibilities there’s only one place left to go, DH and without showing the power………

Looks to me like the Dude will be here for a while and while his arm isn’t bad at all I expect to see him in LF if and when we get a RFer.

Very interested in seeing him against LHP now that he’s gotten his feet wet.

By: XtreemIcon

XtreemIcon — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 17:39:54 +0000

The graphic says LF. Freudian slip about Bay’s future?