Lucas Duda

In the proud history of baseball in Riverside, Lucas Duda has earned a place among its greatest players.

In 2004, Lucas led the Arlington High baseball team to the CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship. For his efforts he was named CIFSS Division 1 Player of the Year, but it was during the playoffs where he shined brightest, earning five consecutive saves without giving up a single run in the only pitching appearances of his high school career and closing the 4-3 victory over Long Beach Wilson in the title game.

Lucas hit .493 with nine home runs and 33 RBIs as a junior, and .403 with 16 home runs and 67 RBIs as a senior when he was so feared by opponents that they issued 42 walks (26 intentional). He was an All-Ivy League, All-Riverside County, All-CIFSS and All-CIF State selection as both a junior and a senior.

From Arlington, he went on to the University of Southern California where he would play 143 games and post a .275 career batting average with 11 home runs and 81 RBIs. He helped the Trojans reach an NCAA Super Regional in 2005,

In 2007, Lucas was drafted in the seventh round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft by the New York Mets. In making his way to the major leagues, he was the Mets minor league player of the year in 2010 before earning his first call-up. The Mets starting right fielder to begin 2012, he played outfield, third base and first base and led the team in home runs, RBIs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and total bases. He became the 11th Mets player to hit three home runs in a single game and later that season helped sweep the Mets in the National League Championship Series with five RBIs in Game 4 before going into to face the Kansas City Royals in the World Series. Retiring in 2020 after 11 major league seasons, Lucas also played for the Tampa Bay Rays, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins.

He continues to give back to the Arlington High baseball program, visiting often and providing countless gifts.

Coming Soon

Coming Soon