Former Northwoods star Lucas Duda was put into the starting lineup by Jerry Manuel of the New York Mets Wednesday night. Duda, a 7th round pick of the Mets in 2007, started in left field against the National League East leading Atlanta Braves.
The 6’5’’ Southern California product played for the Alexandria Beetles in 2006 where he hit .273 with eight homeruns, 12 doubles and 49 RBI. During the summer of 2006, Duda was named to the NWL Postseason All-Star team and also earned the Silver Glove Award at 1st base.
Duda, a left handed hitter, was 0-for-3 on the night for the Mets before being removed from the game due to dehydration. The lefty faced Braves starting pitcher Tommy Hanson who was on a roll as a he threw a one hitter in 7.0 innings of work.
Before being called up, Duda had an impressive .284 career Minor League batting average with stops in Brooklyn (2007), St. Lucie (2008), Binghamton (2009/10) and Buffalo (2010). In his four season of Minor League ball the Riverside, CA native had 115 doubles, 47 homeruns and 238 RBI. His promotion was due to his extremely strong 2010 season where he hit 40 doubles, 23 homeruns and drove in 84 runs while playing in Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Buffalo.
Follow Duda in the Major Leagues at www.northwoodsleague.com and www.newyorkmets.com.
The Northwoods League has more teams, plays more games, and draws more fans than any Summer Collegiate Baseball League in North America. Duda is the 71st NWL alumni to appear in Major League Baseball.
