Duda's hot start worthy of All-Star Game consideration
MIAMI -- Mets first baseman Lucas Duda has accomplished so much over the past calendar year that it's sometimes easy to forget where his career stood a year ago. Last April, the notion of playing in a Major League All-Star Game would have been as foreign to him as thoughts of a 30-homer season.
Duda has since established himself as one of the National League's foremost sluggers, making him a name to watch on the NL All-Star ballot that Major League Baseball released Wednesday.
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Last summer, second baseman Daniel Murphy was the Mets' lone representative at the All-Star Game in Minneapolis. But Murphy is off to a slow start and third baseman David Wright spent most of April on the disabled list, making the All-Star path more difficult for two of the Mets' most obvious candidates. Catcher Travis d'Arnaud, who shot out to a hot April, has also missed significant time due to injury.
But the Mets do have an extremely strong candidate in Duda, who finished third in the NL in home runs last summer. Center fielder Juan Lagares could challenge for a spot on the strength of his glove alone, while shortstop Wilmer Flores is starting to produce enough with his bat to merit consideration, given the dearth of offensive performers at his position. Right fielder Curtis Granderson has also turned things around over the past week, appearing on the ballot alongside fellow corner outfielder Michael Cuddyer.
Though the strength of this Mets team is pitching, fans do not vote for players at that position. Matt Harvey, Bartolo Colon, Jacob deGrom and Jeurys Familia may all eventually merit consideration.