8
2012
Two Mets I’m Really Curious About In 2012
An article by 
No doubt there are a myriad of questions and curiosities about the 2012 Mets, but two I am wondering about most are Lucas Duda and Mike Pelfrey.
I’m skipping the obvious choices, David Wright, Johan Santana and Jason Bay. With Wright, either they’ll trade him or they won’t. With Santana, he’s either healthy or he’s not. And Bay? Based on his first two years with the Mets, I have no expectations.
Duda and Pelfrey are different to me because their performances can dictate a lot about the future.
Duda combines loads of power potential with limited defensive capabilities. He’ll be in right field, a position where power is a necessity. We can’t project Duda for 30 homers because he’s never done it. For that matter, he hasn’t hit more than 10, and that was last season in a short window.
That short window production is what has us salivating. There’s no doubting his strength, and the shorter fences should help, but there are other factors. How will he adjust to National League pitchers and how will they adjust to him? Will he produce over the long haul and with the pressures of starting?
Duda is still a babe in the woods, but that potential has me thinking that if he can handle right field, this could be a player with a bright future.
We’ve been saying “bright future” about Pelfrey for years. He seemingly had a breakthrough 2010, but regressed greatly last season. Well, which is it? Pelfrey is still young enough where he can have a good career. He’s also not commanding the big dollars.
However, he’s an enigma and what he does this season could determine whether the Mets cut ties with him or make a commitment. Pelfrey’s performance could also dictate the future of pitching coach Dan Warthen.
If Pelfrey pitches as he did in 2010 and several of the other Mets’ questions are answered in the positive, the Mets could be competitive and entertaining this summer. If not, the projected long summer will be upon us.
About the Author: John Delcos
I am an active member of the BBWAA and have covered Major League Baseball in several capacities for over 20 years, including ten in New York working the Mets' and Yankees' beat. I covered the Baltimore Orioles for eight years and the Cleveland Indians before that. I currently serve as an editor and senior staff writer for Mets Merized Online. Follow me on Twitter @jdelcos.
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There are many players you could have projected 30 homers who have never done it. How about Ryan Howard and Mike Stanton?
Howard? Did you mean Hayward?
I have loved Duda’s bat for years. I think he is going to have a monster year.
Pelf? Who the hell knows with him though. A true wild card.
The only thing Pelf is good at is falling off the mound.
He is also very good at licking his hand.
Regarding Pelfrey….expectations for him are probably a result of being over hyped – or over valued – or both.
At this point, he probably is what we’ve seen. Here’s hoping his 2012 season is more like his 2010 and not 2011.
Duda? I have no idea. It’s been said that he’s a 1 tool player. Has power but no position, poor defense, no speed. Now’s the time to prove ‘em all wrong, Lucas.
Granted he is not a defensive whiz, or particularly fast, but he has more than one tool. He is a very complete hitter, not just a hacker trying to jack HRs.
once he finally gets to LF he should be fine.
Yeah but unless some miracle happens – Bay has a good first half and we’re able to move him and his contract – Duda won’t see any playing time in LF. Hopefully his holds his own defensive wise in RF this season.
I am also curious about Ruben Tejada and whether Murph can last at 2nd
Pelf drives me crazy, I thought he was going to be like Don Drysdale, that very very good 2nd tier pitcher… NOT
Pelfrey is making like $6mil this year, what a waste of money!
As I have said before I believe Duda will be an all star oneday.As for Pelfrey I don’t even want to go there.ugh
Duda and Ike Davis are worth going to the games this season. I’m looking forward to picking up a Duda jersey before Opening Day. I already have an Ike jersey.
Ike Davis’ statement on Daniel Murphy:
“I think he’s settled into a good spot that he could actually excel and be an All-Star in this league at second base. I think second base is where he can be a long-time baseball player. The guy is amazing at hitting. We have opposite approaches when it comes to hitting. He is technical, he’s got everything, like every pitch – it’s like science watching him hitting. Me, I’m like pure chaos and I swing as hard as I can. So, we get along really well. We try and pick each other up and fire each other up. I think it’s good because we communicate a lot and he listens to what I say and I listen to him.”
So far we have the manager and the first baseman extolling Daniel Murphy, who has a ton of guts and talent. Thanks Terry. Thanks Ike.
On that note:
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/mets-mike-pelfrey-confident-revive-sinker-article-1.1019527?localLinksEnabled=false
NY Mets’ Mike Pelfrey is confident he will revive his sinker after subpar 2011 campaign
Man picking two is hard. I want to see if Tejada can reproduce last year. I am interested to see if Niese can put something together and have a full year. I hope people are realistic when it comes to Ike, he may very well stumble out of the gate for a month or two until he gets back into the swing of things. CF initself is going to be interesting because I don’t see Torres lasting all that long. Parnell finally getting a mid relief role that won’t be pressure packed. Anyway, lots of interesting Mets stories due to our team being a ?
This may be cheating, but I’m curious on…
#1. If moving the fences in will actually get Wright and Bay out of mental funk at the plate they’re in. Yes, I believe it’s mostly mental, especially in Bay’s case. I think both guys are trying to pull for power and end up looking bad waving at junk on the outside corner. Coming from a guy who still plays ball, every HR I hit last year, I wasn’t worried about hitting a HR or trying to pull the ball…I was just looking for a good pitch to hit and to put a good swing on hit. What killed my mid summer hot streak was trying to pull the ball and hit HRs. Taking that approach screws with your swing and timing.
#2. Health! I think the Mets chances to competing are pretty slim. The only chance they have are if everyone stays and plays healthy. There still isn’t a lot of top farm talent that’s ready to contribute, and even the better ones are coming off injuries.