A lot of things came together to get the New York Mets to the 2015 World Series, a feat that was led by an outstanding pitching staff. However, New York also needed some offense to make them National League champions in 2015, and they’ll need a competent offense in 2016 to give them a chance to return to the Fall Classic. The need for a consistent offense makes Lucas Duda key to the Mets’ success in 2016
The Mets have lost two of their most productive offensive players from 2015 in Daniel Murphy and Yoenis Cespedes, leaving a rather large hole in their lineup. The additions of Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera, as well as the presence of Michael Conforto for a full season, will help to make up for the absence of Murphy and Cespedes. However, the Mets will need the returning members of their team to do more, most notably Duda.
As a whole, Duda had a solid 2015 season, batting .244 with 27 home runs, 73 RBIs and an OPS of .838. However, he was far too streaky and suffered an extended slump throughout June and July. The Mets will need Duda to be much more consistent and reliable in 2016 in order to help fill the void left by Murphy and Cespedes.
Obviously, there are several other players the Mets will need to produce to fill the void, but most of those guys have question marks heading into the season. For instance, what is the state of David Wright’s health? How often can he play and can he avoid another long stint on the DL? Can Travis d’Arnaud finally have a season that’s not plagued by injuries and be productive for a full season? Can Conforto play every day in the majors and be as productive as he was the last two months of 2015? Will Curtis Granderson be able to replicate his 2015 success as he ages?
However, with Duda there are no such questions about his age, preparedness, or injury history. There is nothing outside of his own ability that will hold him back from having a strong 2016 season, and so he must produce. Duda has the ability to be a game-changing power bat in the middle of New York’s lineup, and that’s what the Mets need him to be. The Mets need to be able to rely on him, and his performance will be one of the biggest keys to New York’s success in 2016.
