Having watched the first few games of spring training I can already tell that the battle between Ike Davis and Lucas Duda is going to be a close one. Both players have already gone deep this spring with impressive long bombs. Both look to be in great shape. So what will set these two apart? There is a thought that it may come down to Davis having the better glove. This is a big advantage that is also inline with the Met's scheme of things. But do his defensive numbers off set the big slumps that he seems to go through each year? Looking at Duda's numbers they have been pretty consistent, and knowing what your are going to get each day at the plate can be invaluable. Hard to choose right?
Taking a look at Davis's swing it pretty much looks the same. There is an obvious hitch that he refuses to change. He seems to control the hitch for spans of time, 1 month, 2 months or even most of one season. Looking back I'm thinking that pitchers around the league have his number. This credit, he has been able to be a little bit more productive by swinging at better pitches. Will this be enough for him to be productive? I'm not going to bank on it.
As for Duda, I like the true power and contact that he can provide a team. I'll also add that not having to worry about playing in the outfield will help him concentrate at the plate. There is just something that I like about Duda's swing and approach at the plate. I think that giving him confidence and letting him shine, he will finally break through and have a huge season. You see players with a similar path have big years, usually it's with another organization after being traded.
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