With the way that the New York Mets’ roster is constructed, there aren’t many opportunities for position players to win jobs for next season. The outfield is full with Jay Bruce, Michael Conforto, and Brandon Nimmo in the fold and Yoenis Cespedes hopefully returning at some point. Todd Frazier is locked in at third base while Amed Rosario is at short, with the Mets hopeful that Peter Alonso can win the first base job. That really leaves just second base and catcher up for grabs, but Jeff McNeil may have a good chance to fill that second base spot if he puts up strong numbers over the final two months of the season.
It’s incredible that the 26 year old McNeil has gotten here, especially when he was an afterthought entering the season. McNeil had a fine year in 2017, hitting .295 with four homers and 21 RBI’s between St. Lucie and Binghamton, but injuries had wrecked his career to the point that he had become a non-prospect. The Mets did not even protect McNeil in the Rule V draft, and he was passed over by the other 29 teams, which may work out to the Mets’ benefit. McNeil exploded in the minors this year, hitting .342 with a career high 19 homers and 71 RBI’s between Binghamton and Las Vegas before earning a shot at the big league level. The power production definitely caught the Mets attention, but McNeil has torn the cover off the ball all year long.
McNeil finally got his big league shot in late July and a regular job when Asdrubal Cabrera got traded, opening up his natural position of second base. There have been a lot of comparisons between McNeil and Daniel Murphy, the former Mets’ second baseman who blossomed into a power hitter late in his career. Those comparisons may be a bit lazy and simplistic, especially since McNeil appears to be a better fielder than Murphy was at this point in his career, committing only 27 errors at second base in over 1,700 minor league innings. Minor league reports on defense are tricky, especially since Dominic Smith came to the majors with a reputation as a potential Gold Glover but was a disaster in the field at the end of 2017, but McNeil has looked solid in his early chances at second so far.
McNeil has always been known for his bat, however, and what he offers is very different than a lot of the Mets’ current hitters do. Unlike the core of the Mets’ lineup, which is built around all or nothing power hitters, McNeil is a guy who always has a high batting average and on base percentage, hitting .311 with a .380 on base percentage in the course of his minor league career. McNeil is also a professional hitter who will do the little things to help the team win, such as moving runners over, that the Mets have gotten away from far too often. That is refreshing for a team that has gotten away from the little things in recent years, and a fresh emphasis on the fundamentals could help the Mets rebound behind their pitching staff.
Mets’ skipper Mickey Callaway told the media prior to yesterday’s game with the Cincinnati Reds that the plan is for McNeil to play almost every day to see if he can be the starter at second base next year, which is what they need to do. McNeil certainly has the potential to seize that job, and if he can that would be a big boost to the Mets’ plans for this winter. The Mets are planning on contending in 2019, but with a projected $120 million already committed to payroll they don’t have a lot of room to make changes unless ownership has a change of heart and blows up the payroll. McNeil will make the league minimum for a few years, and if he shows that he can be a productive big leaguer the Mets can use those money on other positions of need, such as catcher or the bullpen, instead of a second baseman. The top free agents, such as Brian Dozier and Murphy, will command multi year deals worth at least $10 million a year. If McNeil can offer reasonable production at a fraction of the cost, the Mets will sign for that right now.
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