The McDeal with McNeil: Part II

[Edgy MD]

Things have been noticeably less R-Rated the last couple of days, with Jeff McNeil neither starting nor appearing off the bench in any of the games in the Nats series. It's curious.



I've been following through the radio, and the booth hasn't really discussed his situation. I don't know if he's been seen on TV or any of the local papers have been writing about him.



He's sure noticeable by his absence though. For better or for worse (and it's been mostly the latter this season, with him currently rocking an Ordóñezian .616 OPS), the guy is big part of the team's character.



I mean, there'll be a new character without him — a life beyond the red ass — and you sure can't argue with the outcomes of the last three days.



[FIMG=600]https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/private/t_2x1/t_w1536/v1629522262/mlb/ljjhzixkiciflfga2olk.jpg[/FIMG]

[Benjamin Grimm]

There's this, from the Post:



https://nypost.com/2024/06/05/sports/jeff-mcneils-break-also-mental-as-absence-from-mets-lineup-may-continue/https://nypost.com/2024/06/05/sports/jeff-mcneils-break-also-mental-as-absence-from-mets-lineup-may-continue/

[Fman99]

There should be a choice that says "He sucks." Or is that more the symptom than the cause perhaps. Or maybe he just sucks.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I think he's slowed physically and it might be tough to get better. The public line is a Vogelbach style breather but Vogey never really recovered fully

[batmagadanleadoff]

Other options should include: a) he's in a permanent physical decline; the league figured him out; and c) he's developed some bad habits that are fixable.

[MFS62]

I voted "clear his head space" before I read the Post article.

Later

[metsmarathon]

he's collapsing! i predicted it long ago! players like him always collapse! cut him now!

[Benjamin Grimm]

=metsmarathon post_id=158099 time=1717679611 user_id=83]
he's collapsing! i predicted it long ago! players like him always collapse! cut him now!

[MFS62]

Mendoza should call a Code Red. We can handle the truth.

Later

[Cowtipper]

=metsmarathon post_id=158099 time=1717679611 user_id=83]
he's collapsing! i predicted it long ago! players like him always collapse! cut him now!

[metirish]

Puma reports that Baty was told he would be taking reps at second base when he got optioned to Triple-A. That hasn't happened yet, but Baty, per Puma's report, would welcome the opportunity.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

whoa.

[Benjamin Grimm]

The writing does appear to be on the wall. If not Baty, then eventually Acuna or Maurico will force their way into the infield. (Assuming they're as good as we hope they are, natch.)

[Edgy MD]

Poor Jett Williams. Forgotten!!

[Benjamin Grimm]

I forgot him! I knew there was another infielder I was overlooking, but couldn't think of who it was.

[batmagadanleadoff]

he's collapsing! i predicted it long ago! players like him always collapse! cut him now! I agree. He's never been that great. The only season he played over 150 games, he hit .270. He was only ever a power hitter in 2019 when the ball was juiced and everyone was a power hitter. He's never been good at drawing walks.

I don't think that's necessary. But he's never had great power or speed, his defense is solid but not stupendous, two of his .300 seasons were stunted (62 G in 2018, 60 G in 2020), and if you remove his 2022 campaign, his career average drops 10 points. He's just very Diaz-ian in that his one or two great seasons prop up the rest of his career.

Give me a break already. This Typewriter All-Star card from 2019 (Latin American release only) reminded me that McNeil was an all-star in 2019.



[FIMG=511]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53773816832_03039417b8_b.jpg[/FIMG]



McNeil batted over .300 in each of his first three seasons, over more than 1,000 at bats. His lowest season BA over that span was .311. His lowest OPS+ - 130.



After an off year in 2021, he came back to win the batting title in 2022. He batted well over .300 in four of his first five seasons. And he was a batting title champ and a two-time all-star. And while the ball was certainly juiced in 2019, it was juiced for everybody. But not every outfielder made the all-star team. After five seasons, McNeil was a star and anybody denying that just doesn't know shit.



He's struggling now. And I could come up with many plausible explanations for his struggles. Maybe he's now in decline. Maybe he's hiding an injury, the kind of injury that isn't severe enough to sideline him, but enough to throw off his game. Maybe he's in a funk. I don't really know what's up with McNeil. But I can tell you what's not a convincing explanation for his current lower production: that he was always a bad player and that whenever McNeil ever did anything good, it was sheer luck. That makes no sense at all. Neither does diminishing McNeil's entire career and all of his considerable accomplishments because of his current struggles. A player can be both good and bad without having to simplify things.



Everybody sucks at the end. Everybody declines. If McNeil is in his decline, so be it. It happened to everybody. Even Babe Ruth sucked at the end. Otherwise, Keith Hernandez would still be playing first base for the Mets and Mike Piazza would still be their catcher.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I traveled through the cassava fields of Northwest Columbia in search of a hobby store that sold Typewriter Latin America Batman Cards

[batmagadanleadoff]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: I traveled through the cassava fields of Northwest Columbia in search of a hobby store that sold Typewriter Latin America Batman Cards

You should've went to Mexico. Or Argentina, where Batman was huge. If you didn't go to Mexico, though, I don't blame you. I wouldn't go there even with a Secret Service detail guarding me.

[Edgy MD]

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=158215 time=1717779945 user_id=68]Even Babe Ruth sucked at the end.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I will try Uraguay and Chile on my next trip

[Lefty Specialist]

I have a novel theory: the shift. Or more properly, the end of the shift. He had a knack for hitting against the shift for lefties, hitting balls that would have been outs if they were playing straight-up. Well, now they 're playing straight up and he hasn't adjusted. Just my .02.

[Edgy MD]

When he's not hitting, it's almost always because he's chasing the slider in off the plate.



My question here, though, isn't about why he isn't hitting, but why are the Mets suddenly sitting him so decisively without any statement made to that regard?

[MFS62]

Babe Ruth hit three home runs at the end- his last game.

https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/may-25-1935-ruth-smashes-3-homers-in-final-hurrah/https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/may-25-1935-ruth-smashes-3-homers-in-final-hurrah/



Later

[Edgy MD]

That wasn't his last game. In fact, the article you link to states clearly that it's often misreported as his last game. It was his last Saturday game, but he went on to play five more games, during with he went 0-for-13.

[MFS62]

Edgy MD wrote: My question here, though, isn't about why he isn't hitting, but why are the Mets suddenly sitting him so decisively without any statement made to that regard?

I saw an interview with Mendoza who said Jeff needs time off to get his head together. I just looked for it and couldn't find a link.



Later

[metsmarathon]

Lefty Specialist wrote: I have a novel theory: the shift. Or more properly, the end of the shift. He had a knack for hitting against the shift for lefties, hitting balls that would have been outs if they were playing straight-up. Well, now they 're playing straight up and he hasn't adjusted. Just my .02.

he should just, like, keep hitting it to the left side, no?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Edgy MD wrote: My question here, though, isn't about why he isn't hitting, but why are the Mets suddenly sitting him so decisively without any statement made to that regard? I saw an interview with Mendoza who said Jeff needs time off to get his head together. I just looked for it and couldn't find a link. Later

See the first page of this thread. I posted a link from a New York Post article.

[Edgy MD]

Lefty Specialist wrote: I have a novel theory: the shift. Or more properly, the end of the shift. He had a knack for hitting against the shift for lefties, hitting balls that would have been outs if they were playing straight-up. Well, now they 're playing straight up and he hasn't adjusted. Just my .02. he should just, like, keep hitting it to the left side, no?

Indeed. And while they can't play three infielders on the right side anymore, they certainly aren't playing him straight up.

[MFS62]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: See the first page of this thread. I posted a link from a New York Post article.

I saw it on Facebook and I thought it was from a Mets blog.

Maybe both writers were at the same press conference.



To Edgy's comment -I also remember reading an article a while back that talked about MLB eliminating the shift and it predicted that Jeff would be one of the hitters most hurt by the change but don't recall the stats they gave.

Later

[Cowtipper]

he's collapsing! i predicted it long ago! players like him always collapse! cut him now! I agree. He's never been that great. The only season he played over 150 games, he hit .270. He was only ever a power hitter in 2019 when the ball was juiced and everyone was a power hitter. He's never been good at drawing walks. I don't think that's necessary. But he's never had great power or speed, his defense is solid but not stupendous, two of his .300 seasons were stunted (62 G in 2018, 60 G in 2020), and if you remove his 2022 campaign, his career average drops 10 points. He's just very Diaz-ian in that his one or two great seasons prop up the rest of his career. Give me a break already. This Typewriter All-Star card from 2019 (Latin American release only) reminded me that McNeil was an all-star in 2019. [FIMG=511]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53773816832_03039417b8_b.jpg[/FIMG] McNeil batted over .300 in each of his first three seasons, over more than 1,000 at bats. His lowest season BA over that span was .311. His lowest OPS+ - 130. After an off year in 2021, he came back to win the batting title in 2022. He batted well over .300 in four of his first five seasons. And he was a batting title champ and a two-time all-star. And while the ball was certainly juiced in 2019, it was juiced for everybody. But not every outfielder made the all-star team. After five seasons, McNeil was a star and anybody denying that just doesn't know shit. He's struggling now. And I could come up with many plausible explanations for his struggles. Maybe he's now in decline. Maybe he's hiding an injury, the kind of injury that isn't severe enough to sideline him, but enough to throw off his game. Maybe he's in a funk. I don't really know what's up with McNeil. But I can tell you what's not a convincing explanation for his current lower production: that he was always a bad player and that whenever McNeil ever did anything good, it was sheer luck. That makes no sense at all. Neither does diminishing McNeil's entire career and all of his considerable accomplishments because of his current struggles. A player can be both good and bad without having to simplify things. Everybody sucks at the end. Everybody declines. If McNeil is in his decline, so be it. It happened to everybody. Even Babe Ruth sucked at the end. Otherwise, Keith Hernandez would still be playing first base for the Mets and Mike Piazza would still be their catcher.

1,000 ABs is 333 per season. Consistently small sample sizes. And since then, he's plummeted in every respect and has, in the aggregate, been barely anything more than a weak singles hitter with a poor OBP.



Mets fans have gotten so used to mediocrity that they latch onto the McNeils of the world. Back in the day, that was okay, because that is all we had, and all we thought we COULD have. But now we have a billionaire owner that apparently supposedly 'wants to win,' yet still ... the McNeils of the world are still all we have.



It gets old.