Lucas Duda continues to impress just about everyone at Mets camp.

Duda is sometimes compared to a young Jason Giambi. The similarities are obvious to Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, who drafted Giambi in Oakland.

“I think they will end up having a similar profile: Power guys with an excellent eye at the plate,” Alderson said. “If you have that combination, you can be a superstar.

“Especially for a left-handed hitter, if you’ve got power, the high on-base percentage, the approach and you can hit left-handed pitching, that’s [Reds first baseman] Joey Votto. It’s a handful of guys, and [Duda] has already demonstrated that he has that potential.”

According to Andy McCullough of The Star-Ledger, Dan Warthen has been working with Jon Niese on maintaining his focus on the mound.

A rudimentary scan of his disastrous appearances in 2011 provides some insight. Niese allowed at least five runs in nine starts last season. In each of those games, Niese allowed at least three runs or more in one inning. He exhibited a tendency to implode quickly, rather than melt down over time.

To curb that, Warthen has spent the early part of camp counseling Niese not to let his mind drift. Catcher Josh Thole, a year older, now has more freedom to control Niese if he notices a series of sloppy deliveries. And Niese will be on the lookout, striving for day-to-day vigilance.

Finally, for a little light-hearted entertainment, here’s video from Metsblog of Tim Byrdak dressed as Hulk Hogan.

Fred Wilpon spoke with reporters Monday afternoon and essentially said the teams’ owners are not going anywhere.

“[Fans] shouldn’t be concerned about us owning the franchise, because we intend to own the franchise for a very long time,” he said. “Whether they’re happy about that right now, or not, I don’t know.”

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York writes of how Lucas Duda has impressed just about everyone in the Mets clubhouse.

“He’s putting the rest of us to shame,” [Jason] Bay said. “He was bench-pressing the other day. I couldn’t really tell, but I’m pretty sure they were the 120-pound dumbbells he was doing with one arm. You don’t see that very often. I would say 80, you’re doing pretty good on those.

“And not too many guys turned around a [Braves closer Craig] Kimbrel fastball last year. If I recall, he turned about a neck-high one around to dead-center field. He’s just one of those guys that probably doesn’t get enough notice — a lot probably because of the personality that he has. He doesn’t say much. But he’s a big, strong guy and he can hit.”

Terry Collins gave his opening speech yesterday, telling players that their job is to prove everyone wrong.

“I spoke from the heart, I always do,” Collins said. “I told them, ‘There are 29 teams that think they are better than you are. How does it make you feel, and what are you going to do about it? You can talk about it or you can do something about it.’ And that’s pretty much the gist of the whole conversation.”

Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that Mets officials believe Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda are best suited as corner infielders.

“The Mets also privately fret if Davis will hit lefties consistently; something they have far less concern about with Duda. What worries them with Duda is if he will subtract from his offensive value — which even executives around the league believe is legit — by being such a defensive liability in right. Murphy, meanwhile, has been seriously injured each of the past two seasons turning pivots at second.

Thus, the Mets want to verify their beliefs that Duda and Murphy are above-average hitters. If so, they will at least have the option to consider dealing Wright and/or Davis to continue to deepen the young talent base.”

Terry Collins sat down with The Star-Ledger to discuss the 2012 season. He won’t let his players feel sorry for themselves or be distracted with off the field issues.

“You know what? Jose’s not here…The first time I hear someone say, ‘Oh, Jose would have caught that ball,’ we’ve got problems…So our payroll’s down…How many guys here care what our payroll is?”

David Lennon of Newsday writes of how the trio of Matt Harvey, Jeurys Familia, and Zack Wheeler shouldn’t be labeled the next Generation K. Also, don’t expect to see any of them called up before their time.

“The temptation with those three guys doesn’t really exist at the moment,” [Sandy] Alderson said. “Obviously, when you bring somebody up — whenever you do — they still have to perform. So on the one hand, you’re tempted to bring somebody up to fill innings, but on the other hand, they better be ready. Because if they’re not, there are obviously consequences to that, too.”

• Chris Capuano was flat out spectacular tonight. He pitched a complete game shutout, allowing only two hits, no walks, and a career high 13 strike outs. He was good enough to get a pie in the face after the game from Willie Harris.
• Some of the Mets young hitters continue to hit. Lucas Duda had three hits, two runs scored and two RBIs. His two run double came off Jonny Venters, which were the first two runs he allowed in two months, spanning 24 appearances and 23 innings.
• Ruben Tejada had three more hits, bringing his average on the season up to .283. With the skill he brings on the defensive side of the ball, he is really developing into an asset for the Mets going forward.
• Finally, the Mets were able to win the first game of a homestand. They started the year 0-10 in those situations.

The Mets and Braves will finish out this series with a double header September 8^th, due to the inclement weather stemming from Hurricane Irene. The next game is scheduled for Monday, at Citi Field, with a double header against the Marlins, starting at 4:10.

Stay safe this weekend and take care of your loved ones.