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Kevin Long: Michael Cuddyer Reminds Me Of Derek Jeter

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Talk about high praise.

Mets hitting coach Kevin Long was on the Yankees' coaching staff from 2007-14, so he spent plenty of time working with iconic shortstop Derek Jeter.

Long is entering his first season with the Amazin's, and one player in particular reminds him of the future Hall of Famer.

No, not David Wright.

Try newcomer Michael Cuddyer.

"I didn't know Michael at all, but he reminds me of Jeet in a lot of ways," Long told the New York Daily News. "His demeanor, his mentality; he's a gamer. He brings it every day. And he goes to the plate every time with a total belief in himself."

The Mets signed Cuddyer to a two-year, $21 million contract in November, and he's projected to be the club's starting left fielder.

"It's a mentality that 'I'm better than the pitcher,'" Long told the newspaper. "With Jeet I couldn't tell whether he was 20-for-20 or 0-for-20; his mindset never changed. He went to the plate in his next at-bat convinced he was better than the guy on the mound. Michael's got that too."

The 35-year-old veteran was limited to just 49 games for the Rockies in 2014, but he produced when he was on the field. The two-time All-Star hit .332 with 10 homers and 31 RBIs in 190 at-bats. He also posted a .376 on-base percentage.

"Michael's one of the veteran guys who (has) talked about wanting to play the game the right way here in spring training and have it carry over," manager Terry Collins said, according to the New York Daily News. "That's how you win."

Cuddyer is having a nice spring for the Mets. In nine game he's gone 7-for-24 (.292) with three home runs and two doubles. He's only struck out three times.

"We don't talk mechanics at all," Long told the newspaper. "It helps not to overthink the process. A lot of guys can get to the plate and think about mechanics too much, and they forget about the most important part, which is to compete. Cuddyer competes as well as anybody."

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