PORT ST. LUCIE — Kevin Long is not into hype.

Take that into account when you consider what he told The Post on Saturday.

After his first Mets press conference here, I pulled Long aside and asked him what Mets hitter has the best chance to become better this season. Long didn’t hesitate.

“Murphy,’’ he said. “A batting title is not out of his grasp.

“He’s got a lot of pop and a lot of potential. There is more ability in there and we are going to try to draw it out.’’

That is one huge statement, but that is how much Long believes in Daniel Murphy’s ability after breaking down his swing and working with him.

Only one Met ever has won a batting title. That was Jose Reyes in 2011 when he batted .337.

Michael Cuddyer, who signed with the team this winter, won the NL batting tittle in 2013, hitting .331 for the Rockies.

Long said he believes Murphy not only can hit for a higher average but can add power to his swing as well, so that is the best of both worlds increased power and increased average.

Murphy likes everything about Long’s approach so far.

“The thing is, he makes you believe it, and I think that’s what makes you feel so good,’’ Murphy said of the Yankees former hitting coach. “He makes you believe what you believe, which is that you’re a killer.’’

A killer. The Mets sure could use a few more killers at the plate.

Long’s influence is so great on hitters one Yankee said he considers Long a “Hall of Fame batting coach.’’

Now it is up to Long to get the best out of the Mets. They hit .239 as a team in 2014. Only the Reds (.238) and Padres (.226) were worse.

Murphy, a lifetime .290 hitter, batted .289 last season with just nine home runs and 57 RBIs and a .734 OPS.

Murphy is not about to run away from the higher expectations. He has embraced the challenge from Long and is making subtle adjustments that should make him an even better hitter.

“He’s super prepared, not just on me, but on every guy coming in,’’ Murphy said. “I’ve really enjoyed the dialogue that we’ve had back and forth. It’s a real conversation, he’s listening to what I have to say and I’m listening to what he has to say because he’s had so much success before he got here.’’

As for winning a batting title, said Murphy, who is making $8 million this season and is a free agent in 2016: “I have heard that before, if you tighten up your strike zone a little bit, and swing at some better pitches you can really do some damage. It’s nice for someone to come in and who has never really seen me before, except on film, and the couple times we play the Yankees, to say something like that.’’

Cuddyer said he knows what it is like to win a batting title. Besides talent, it’s all about confidence. Long instills confidence in his hitters.

“As the season kept going, the confidence kept growing,’’ Cuddyer said of his 2013 season. “I changed my way of thinking, that the other shoe, something bad happening, did not have to drop. Even though I didn’t play that much last year, I still had the same mindset.’’

Cuddyer said he sees that mindset in Murphy.

“You hear that term professional hitter thrown out there a lot, to me that means you are not an easy out and that’s what [Murphy] does,” Cuddyer said. “He battles. He cares about hitting and he cares about getting base hits and there’s a difference.

“Some guys don’t really care about getting base hits, they just want to go out there and do damage or hit home runs. He cares about getting base hits.’’

The Mets, 28th in hits last season, desperately need more hits.

If Murphy becomes the second Met to win a batting title, with this pitching staff, the Mets will do some damage.