Adam Rubin is rolling out his ever popular Pace Law Annual Salary Projection Series. In making their determinations, Pace puts together a panel that will base their projections on the following:
- The quality of the player’s contribution to his club during the past season (referred to as his “platform season”), including but not limited to his overall performance, special qualities of leadership and public appeal
- The length and consistency of his career contribution
- The player’s past compensation
- Comparative baseball salaries
- The existence of any physical or mental issues on the part of the player
- The recent performance record of the club, including but not limited to its league standing and attendance, as an indication of public acceptance
Lucas Duda, 1B
Pace Salary Projection: $7.315 million ($585,000 raise)
MLBTR Salary Projection: $6.725 million
According to Pace, the three players that Duda will be compared to are Cliff Pennington, Jacoby Ellsbury and Brandon Moss.
You can read their full analysis here.
[iframe]<div style=”width:100%;margin:10px 0;”><iframe src=”https://w.graphiq.com/w/cFhSj3JB5NH” width=”640″ height=”523″ frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no” style=”position:static;vertical-align:top;margin:0 auto;display:block;width:640px !important;max-width:100%;min-height:523px !important;max-height:none !important;border:none;overflow:hidden;”></iframe><div style=”text-align:center;font:14px/16px Helvetica,arial;color:#3d3d3d;”><a target=”_blank” href=”https://baseball-players.pointafter.com/l/4436/Lucas-Duda” style=”color:#3d3d3d;”>PointAfter | Graphiq</a></div></div>[/iframe]
Lucas Duda was limited to just 47 games in 2016 due to a stress fracture in his lower back. He opted for rest instead of surgery and actually returned for a couple of games at the end of the regular season. He’s expected to be fully recovered by spring training.
While it may have been injury related, Duda was in the midst of his worst season before landing on the disabled list. His .302 on-base percentage and .714 OPS were both career lows.
Duda, 31, is entering his final year of arbitration and is a free agent at the end of the 2017 season. The Mets are hoping that he returns to the form that saw him blast 57 home runs and 60 doubles over the 2014-2015 seasons with an OPS north of .830. But whatever happens, most now see Duda as a place holder for first base prospect Dominic Smith. Odds are Duda will be wearing another uniform in 2018, or even 2017 if the Mets choose to deal him.
