Since winning the hitting title in 2022, Jeff McNeil‘s batting average dropped to .270 in 2023 and .238 last year, so when he was hitting .221 on May 26 it was fair to wonder if the 33-year-old’s best days were behind him. And they still might be, but for a few weeks now, “Happy Jeff“ is back.
McNeil hit Cole Henry‘s first pitch in the bottom of the 10th inning Tuesday night into right field to walk off the Nationals in a 5-4 victory at Citi Field. He went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, also driving in New York’s first run with a single in the second inning. His season OPS is up to .891, and his current 146 wRC+ would represent a career-high.
“You just want to be who you are,” McNeil said. “I feel like this is kind of who I am, and I’m going to stick with it.”
Brad Penner-Imagn Images
McNeil’s average is up to .266, he is 10-for-31 in June with a 1.041 OPS, looking more like the batting champ than the player who hit .216 in the first half of 2024. He rebounded after the All-Star break last year (seven homers, .923 OPS), but his regular season was cut short by an injury.
“The first half of last year is not who I am,” he said. “It was tough. It was frustrating. It was not very fun. I was able to make adjustments. I think this game is about adjustments and I feel like I’m the kind of player that can adjust on the fly, do what I need to do and get the job done.”
Manager Carlos Mendoza said McNeil’s play in the last week (8-for-23, three homers) is reminding him of his post-All-Star break run when he dictated at-bats, swung with conviction, and used the whole field.
“He’s putting himself in a really good position to hit and not only hit but do damage because we know the bat-to-ball skills are off the charts,” Mendoza said. “I feel like he gets in trouble at times when he just try to put the ball in play on pitchers’ pitches as opposed to getting a pitch where he can drive.”
The approach is working for McNeil as he’s hitting for more power than he has previously, with career highs in slugging percentage (.532), isolated slugging percentage (.266) and 45.9% flyball rate. All while having more walks (13.4% career-best) than strikeouts (9.4% career-low). Being a hitter with power is a big reason why McNeil finally got his shot in the big leagues when he hit 19 home runs in just 88 minor league games in 2018.
“I’m trying to hit it hard,” McNeil said. “I’m not trying to guide the ball out there. The pitching is so good and so tough that when you do get a good pitch, you have to try to do some damage on it. That’s what I’ve been trying to do lately.”
