You Make the Call: Lucas Duda

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

"Duda" is a Polish name. It refers both to "dudy" -- literally, "bagpipes" -- but also to a bad musician, i.e: a jester or clown. Plugged into Google translator, "Duda" literally means "Fathead," or "Nitwit" indicating our boy and his little sister are perhaps not descended from Chopin but from the Polish Billy Joel.

How does Fathead do in 2012?

[metirish]

.275 - 25 hr - but only 70 RBI - SO - 146 - no outfield assists - 12 errors

[smg58]

.280/.370/.500, with 25 HR. The bad news is that he plays 150 games in right field.

[MFS62]

His careful nurturing after I adopted him will pay off.
Big time.
He will have 30+ HR, 100 RBI, hit .290, and not completely embarrass the family in right field.
Later

[Edgy MD]

Duda will have an astounding first half. He'll hit some Luzinski shots that make you marvel at the capacity of humanity. A six-week slump in the second half will cool him off, but he'll get a few nods in the MVP voting, despite a terrible August and some blooper reel plays in right.

.279-37-111.

Twenty four homers at the All-Star break.

[TransMonk]

.271, 19 HR, 80 RBI, 100K

[Ceetar]

.280/.360/.512 32 HR, 108 RBI, 15 HBP

[metirish]

I really hope someone will tally up all these threads after the season, there's gold in them.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

They're all going direct to the Prediction Archives on April 5. We'll crown individual thread-winners and the 2012 Prognostication Overall Heavyweight Champion in October.

As for Doodoo, I am hoping for a big-ass year.

30-110-277/390/520

[metirish]

Cool.......i think we all hope for a big year but what do you predict?

[Edgy MD]

A half dozen painfully awkward interviews before it starts going around among the tv journalists to spare him the pain and keep him off the camera.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

MVP runner-up.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I think he'll hit a bunch of homers, but he'll be a bit one-dimensional.

.242, 31 homers, 84 RBI.

[Ceetar]

Edgy DC wrote: A half dozen painfully awkward interviews before it starts going around among the tv journalists to spare him the pain and keep him off the camera.

We're talking the NY media here. They'd double down on Duda interviews.

[TransMonk]

MVP votes? 30+ HRs? A guy (or many guys) can hope...but I'm not seeing it yet.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy DC wrote: He'll hit some Luzinski shots....

Wow. Greg Luzinski. That's who Duda reminds me of, except I didn't know it before your Bull reference.

.300/.385/.500 140 OPS+ The big boy breaks on through this season. MVP caliber hitting in 2012.

[Vic Sage]

.275 - 25hr - 80rbi - 80w/100k - .800 OPS

Reyes single-season record for triples will be safe, but he'll lead the league in chasing balls into the RF corner, stumbling and then kicking it into the stands or towards the ball girl.

He'll get moved to 1B midsummer, where he'll provide average defense, when Davis goes down for 2-4 weeks with Valley Fever-induced joint pain. Upon his return, Davis will play RF, where he'll be passable, so they have 2 positions with average defense, rather than excellent defense at 1b and a disaster in the OF... or not.

[metirish]

Funny stuff Vic

Somehow I think Davis would be worse out in RF.......

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, that idea may have been sale-able pre-ankle injury. Now, I imagine the challenge is to move Ike as little as possible, not to have him hammering after line drives in the corner.

[Vic Sage]

this is why i said: "... or not."

[duan]

.305 avg
.347 obp
.500 slg

140 games played

[Edgy MD]

I may be wrong about everything else, but he's totally going to walk more than .042

[Edgy MD]

The no-hitter and shutout fall victim to the sixth inning. Mets still up 4-1. Fernando Martinez joining in the fun.

[ashie62]

Doo Dah

Like Kingman, lotsa HR's & K's

.245 32 hr 89 rbi 189K

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: He'll hit some Luzinski shots.... Wow. Greg Luzinski. That's who Duda reminds me of, except I didn't know it before your Bull reference.

SH*T YES! That's who I've been thinking of, and haven't been able to figger.

I'll go slightly less optimistic on the hittin' line, though... but only slightly:

.284/.368/.509, 29 HR, 52 XBH, 91 RBI, 68 R.

[batmagadanleadoff]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Edgy DC wrote: He'll hit some Luzinski shots.... Wow. Greg Luzinski. That's who Duda reminds me of, except I didn't know it before your Bull reference. SH*T YES! That's who I've been thinking of, and haven't been able to figger.

You weren't even born when the Bull was rocketing the lame offerings of de Roulet era Mets hurlers. His homers would continue to bounce around the Vet Stadium outfield seats for what seemed like minutes and minutes as if the stadium was the insides of one gigantic pinball machine. Late '70's Mets games against the Phillies were fun.

Not.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

My first baseball card ever was a Luzinski. (Gift from a Phil fan neighbor of ours, apparently.)

[Vic Sage]

How about a LHed slugging RF/1bman with some Met pedigree?
Shawn Green, anyone? but without the speed.
yeah, i guess the lack of speed makes him a LHed Luzinski. but with an upside of Tim Salmon, at least at the plate (not in RF), if he can continue to control the strike zone.
Ultimately, i think his future will be at 1b/dh, which i think makes him more a Kent Hrbek type. which is pretty good too. Or Ryan Klesko, which is less good, and more likely.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

He's also a Luzinski.

[Edgy MD]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: He's also a Luzinski.

Yeah, I guess it's the seeming discomfort within his own skin that makes me think of Lu. "Just give me something to mash, and then I'll be OK."