BRONX, NY — Jeff McNeil had looked like a shell of his former batting-champion self throughout the first half of the 2024 season.
The lefty who batted .326 just two years ago was mired in the worst stretch of his career, batting .216 through his first 88 games heading into the All-Star break.
“I just felt like I was searching early in the year,” he said.
Sidelined for the majority of spring training while dealing with a partial tear in his elbow, the 32-year-old found himself trying to get up to speed with an approach that made hitting the baseball all the more difficult.
“I had a lot of success in the big leagues hitting for average,” McNeil began. “I was searching for that — trying to take that line drive swing and guide the ball out there instead of just seeing the ball, let it play, and let it rip.”
It was not until New York’s series opener on July 5 in Pittsburgh against the Pirates that he decided to abandon such an approach and go back to letting it “rip.”
“I just went up there, just tried to hit the ball hard,” he said. “I wasn’t having success the other way, so you have to keep trying things. I’ve always been a grinder. Things haven’t come easy all the time, so you have to grind through it.”
The results have been promising, especially after the All-Star break. In his previous five games entering Wednesday night’s Subway Series finale against the Yankees, McNeil went 6-for-15 (.400) with four home runs, eight RBI, and a 1.612 OPS.
His two-run home run against former Met Michael Tonkin on a full count in the sixth inning on Tuesday night proved to be the game-winner, breaking a 1-1 tie to lift the Mets to a 3-2 triumph over the Yankees.
“My swing is a lot better when I’m just sort of swinging hard, trying to drive the ball as hard as I can,” McNeil said. “I feel like I’ve been taking a lot of good at-bats… I’m more confident. I feel like my swing is right where it needs to be… I feel a lot better. I feel like myself and it’s nice to have results.”
This is the approach that McNeil had when he was ripping it up in the minors, which carried over into the majors — he batted .307 across his first five years in the big leagues. Understanding the power will wane, sustaining this type of production is still a sizable pick-me-up for the Mets offense, especially toward the middle-to-bottom-third of the lineup.
JD Martinez has been mired in an extraordinary slump in recent weeks while Pete Alonso’s power has lagged with one home run in his last 17 games. Mark Vientos also has just one round-tripper in his last 14.
“He’s back where we all know he’s capable of being a really good hitter,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “But now, he’s driving the ball, he’s impacting the ball, he’s got conviction behind his swing.”
