Seemingly every last person in the industry always warns never to take individual results from March or September too seriously in baseball. Games don’t count and the conditions aren’t the same in March, and there are stage-frightened pitchers on the mound and hitters at the plate when rosters expand in September.
In large measure that’s fairly accurate, but in certain cases, it’s difficult not to take results from these two months seriously.
In the case of Lucas Duda, the man who was third in the National league in home runs with 30 in 2014 but had the eighth-worst batting average against left-handed pitching (with a minimum of 100 at-bats), it’s hard to ignore such results, especially those from March, 2015.
Consider this for a moment: Duda had 20 hits against in all of 2014. He was being benched against tough left-handed pitching, which left the Mets devoid of any power in the lineup on a far too frequent basis.
These problems were no secret to Duda. But he has sought to improve in those situations, asking specifically to face David Price earlier this month, during which he singled in three at-bats.
“He said, ‘If I’m going to face lefties, I might as well face the best there is,’” Collins explained of Duda’s request last week.
Duda’s already recorded six hits against left-handed pitching, and he’s only played in 12 games this spring thanks to a strained intercostal muscle which sidelined him for nearly a month.
Three of those six hits against left-handed pitching came consecutively in yesterday’s 3-2 win over the Cardinals, two of which to the opposite field.
“I am just trying to shorten up a bit and use the whole field,” Duda told reporters after the game.
Duda has worked with Kevin Long – who is also a lefty – extensively on his approach against left-handed pitching, specifically on shortening his swing and taking them up the middle or the opposite way.
“If you saw him in the Minor Leagues, he got 100 of those hits to left-center field, left field off lefties,” Terry Collins explained to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. “He ends up seeing the ball a little longer, so when he ends up seeing something he can drive, he can do something with it instead of worrying about hitting everything over the fence in right field.”
Despite early success and an improved approach against lefties, Duda downplayed his performance in particular after yesterday’s game.
“It’s just one day, so it’s not a big deal,” Duda said.
There’s no question this is a very small sample. But none the less, these at-bats and results are significant for a player known for his inability to do what he’s done in so far in camp. They’re also significant in quieting the critics, ending the daily Q&A at his locker about a perceived deficiency, and a continuation for him to build confidence and strengthen his perceived weakness.
Duda may not ever hit .300 against lefties, although that would be incredible if he did. But if he can hit .230 or better against southpaws, he could evolve into one of the most feared hitters in a game absolutely starved of pure power.
Terry Collins will give him every opportunity to become that this season.
You can read more about Duda against left-handed pitching from Anthony DiComo at MLB.com.
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