NEW YORK -- The only question now is the height of Lucas Duda's ceiling.
As Mets manager Terry Collins sees it, Duda realized at some point last year that he "belongs" in the big leagues. The back of Duda's baseball card suggests not only that he belongs, but that he has quietly developed into one of the National League's foremost sluggers. And that's just based on last year, when Duda hit .180 with a .516 OPS against left-handed pitchers.
If Duda can start hitting lefties consistently, as he did Thursday with the go-ahead RBI in the Mets' 7-5 win over the Marlins, willing them to their fifth straight victory for the first time in two years, there is no telling how high steep his career arc may rise.