Anthony DiComo of MLB.com caught up with Terry Collins who made some revealing comments about Mets outfield prospect Lucas Duda who they have consistently maintained would start the season in Triple-A Buffalo.
Considering Martinez’s own injury-prone history and lack of sustained professional success, the better bet appears to be Duda.
“I’m hoping like mad that Carlos Beltran can be out there quite a bit,” Collins said. “But if something happens, this guy has shown this spring that his bat’s dangerous, so I need to find a place for him if that happens.”
Already this spring, Duda has racked up a home run, three doubles and a .292 average in 27 at-bats, playing both the corner outfield spots and first base — and all that after tallying 27 homers and a .287 average over three levels last summer. On Wednesday, he started in right field as a direct result of Beltran’s latest setback.
This is a complete reversal from 48 hours ago when Sandy Alderson told reporters that if Carlos Beltran was to go on the DL, he would not promote Duda or Fernando Martinez to replace him, but instead platoon Scott Hairston and Willie Harris who he believes would be more than capable.
