Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil reached base two more times on Sunday, as he went 1-for-2 with a single and a walk, prior to leaving early with right quad tightness.
The rookies single in the third extended his career-best hitting streak to 11 games, which is tied with Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich for the longest active streak in the Majors. He is hitting .457, and his streak is tied for the longest hitting streak by a Mets hitter this season.
McNeil has also reached safely in each of his past 13 starts, which is the longest streak of its kind since Curtis Granderson’s 14-game hitting streak last season.
In an article by Kevin Kernan of the New York Post, a scout recently praised McNeil and set a lofty comparison for the rookie.
“He reminds me of Daniel Murphy. He puts the bat on the ball and he leaves the bat in the hitting zone a long time. He makes solid contact and now that he has gotten a little stronger, he is starting to drive the ball,” the scout said.
Mets manager Mickey Callaway has also praised McNeil’s approach at the plate, calling him a “scrappy little guy.”
“He is hard to figure out because he can barrel up a lot of different pitches. Those hitters like that, man, are tough when you’re a pitcher,” Callaway told reporters.
McNeil has been a breath of fresh air since joining the Mets in late July. He has 36 hits through 32 games, which is tied for the fourth-most hits by a Mets player who began his career with New York.
He is also hitting a stellar .340/.395/.481 with five doubles, two triples, two home runs, ten RBI’s, and only 11 strikeouts.
As far as his injury, McNeil told reporters postgame yesterday that it is “nothing too major” and he does not expect to miss much time at all.
