Jeff McNeil Is Back

Just six days ago, it wasn’t a tremendous reach to say that Jeff McNeil was having a disappointing year. After going 0-for-4 in a 5-3 loss to the Phillies on September 4, his batting line sat at .282/.344/.364; not terrible, but certainly not what Mets fans had hoped for coming into the season.

Over the last five games, McNeil has untied that narrative in a hurry, going on a 9-for-17 stretch that includes the last four consecutive games with a homer. Until Sunday, he was still yet to record a single long ball, but just like that, he has four in four days.

Of course, it’s important to note that he may still have been battling the knee injury he suffered on August 13, and while that may have had an effect on his play, it makes his recent surge even all the more impressive.

McNeil’s line is suddenly up to .315/.388/.496, which is not a far cry at all from his .318/.385/.531 performance from last year. His 139 wRC+ is also comparable to last year’s 143 mark. While his ISO is still .033 points lower, that’s to be expected given that he didn’t even have home run until Sunday, and it’s remarkable how fast he’s been able to play catchup.

There are even signs that point to McNeil actually being a better offensive player this year than last, such as his walk rate increasing by 3.3% and strikeout rate decreasing by a full percentage. He’s making hard contact 4.2% more often,  and hitting line drives 4.7% more often.

McNeil’s xBA, xSLG, and xwOBA are actually all higher than his marks from last year. He’s also swinging and missing less while making more contact.

Overall, despite the slight decrease in power, if you weren’t paying attention during McNeil’s relative struggles and simply compared the batting lines, he’s been roughly the same player that Mets fans have come to know and love. If you factor in that he may have still been fighting that knee injury, it practically eliminates any concerns over his performance and if anything, provides a reason to be optimistic about his bat going forward.

McNeil’s sudden resurgence may be partly thanks to Patrick Mazeika, who was a teammate of McNeil’s for much of his minor league career. While McNeil was slumping after the Mets’ doubleheader against the Yankees on August 30, he turned to Mazeika, who suggested some mechanical changes, as was discussed by Mike Puma of the NY Post.

“We looked at some pitches that I hit for home runs last year and they are the same pitches I am rolling over this year and it all came down to body position,” McNeil explained. “So if I can get my body in the right spot during the swing, I am able to stay through the ball a lot more. I have been rolling over some. pitches, so I just need to stay through the ball a little but more and those power numbers will return.

Returned they have, and in a hurry for that matter, as McNeil will head into Friday’s game against the Blue Jays looking for his fifth consecutive game with a home run.

McNeil has provided all of this offensive thump while still being versatile in the field, seeing time at third base, second base, and left field and being a serviceable option in all three spots. He even made this great catch on Wednesday in left field in the Mets’ 7-6 win over the Orioles.

As McNeil as settled into these various positions, he has made note of how his overall comfort levels have improved at each position (remember when Mickey Callaway said he was “strictly a second baseman?”).

“I feel like a utility player,” McNeil said before Sunday’s game. “As time goes on, you feel more and more comfortable out there, and it’s been good so far.”

Of course, things never got so bad that McNeil’s presence in the everyday lineup was ever a question, but with his recent surge (particularly in the power department), the Mets can certainly breathe a little easier and feel confident that McNeil is going to keep producing for them in a big way.