Memories of Jeff McNurtles

[Edgy MD]

One of the reddest asses in Mets history, his exile will statistically reduce the statewide public usage of dated profanities like Titty****s! and sometimes weird constructions like Ballscabs!

He will also be forever associated in Mets history for me with lefthanded-batting/righthanded-chucking contact hitters Dave Magadan and Daniel Murphy, guys who never stuck at a position, but exhibited a versatility the Mets too often treated that as a bug, rather than an asset. (You can throw Wayne Garrett in there also, though the Mets struggled to accept Garrett's offense, rather than his defense.)

As a specific memory, I remember him ending a long slump by suddenly coming alive in Oracle Park, tearing everything to the wall and over in right and right center, and coming within two or three feet of parking one in McCovey Cove.

That said, I always like the .320-hitting guy who drove it the other way more than the .265-hitting pull-power guy.

And with that said, I will hardly be shocked if he somehow melds them both in 2026 and becomes an MVP candidate.

[FIMG=550]https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/Jeff-McNeil.jpg[/FIMG]

[Gwreck]

Led the 2022 (101-win) team in WAR.

Great Spider-Man catch bouncing off the silly outfield netting in…Chicago(?).

Don’t have the data to prove it but I’ve always felt that McNeil was one of the players most hurt by the ban on the shift, as he always seemed to excel at hitting around a shifted infield.

[Edgy MD]

Rhys Hoskins showing his admiration for Chase Utley. Jeff fights back with strong language.

(On edit: I kind of love that this video isn't embeddable due to age restrictions.)

[YOUTUBE]ZFngTioK1N8[/YOUTUBE]

[smg58]

Teams started pitching him in where he couldn't just poke it to left, and he never really adjusted well enough. Plus he seemed to spend the last three years dealing with one ding after another. But he gave us several outstanding seasons and a batting title.

[Cowtipper]

Oh thank goodness.

Now typical of late-bloomers who came up without much fanfare, a la Justin Turner and Daniel Murphy, he's going to become an All-Star masher for many years to come, instead of the inconsistent player he was with New York.

I remember he was often sour and seemed like he had a bad attitude. I remember his awesome rookie year and thinking we probably weren't going to get that out of him year after year, so he did surprise me. But I took him as the sort of player that the rug could get pulled out from under us at any moment, and in 2023, it happened.

I remember I was at a Mets game and some girls were holding up a squirrel stuffed animal trying to get his attention. Always felt bad for that nickname; it might've been in good fun, but it was still kind of insulting.

I remember him as being one of my primary sources of Mets frustration and constantly wanting him gone.

Still, a 117 OPS+, two ASGs, a Silver Slugger and a batting title, from that guy, are nothing to sneeze at.

[MFS62]

Led the 2022 (101-win) team in WAR.

 

I remember being amazed that he did that, because the previous year he had hit around .250.

Later

[metirish]

Always liked how passionate Jeff is , especially him getting all riled up after stricking out or not getting a runner over Edited December 22, 2025 by metirish

[ashie62]

The guy bled Mets blue and did incredible things on the field for which I am grateful

His passion was boundless even if pointed in the wrong direction at times

He will be missed and remembered warmly I'm sure

[DocTee]

Choked up on a bat without a knob and I thought he could win a batting title with a fence post in his hands.

Reminded me of the player from the days of yore (Ty Cobb?) who once changed his approach mid-series to prove that he could hit homeruns like Babe Ruth only to then return to the slap-hitting title-winning champ he was.

Never liked the red-assery and came of like a Paul O'Neill type too much for my taste but I loved his defensive versatility and think he must've been one helluva high school athlete. Enjoy golfing in Sacramento, Jeff.

[Fman99]

Great Spider-Man catch bouncing off the silly outfield netting in…Chicago(?).

 

 

Yep, first thing I thought of as well. Right field in Comiskey Park or whatever the hell the name is of the White Sox stadium

[Edgy MD]

Keith praised his "athleticism" and it was there, but it was less there in traditional decathalon skills like speed and strenth and ups and cuts and acceration, but rather in reaction time, hand-eye coordination, and a gritty willingness (almost a desire) to give up his body. There was an athlete's creativity under pressure there, too.

[YOUTUBE]IHZRMcuslxo[/YOUTUBE]

[Edgy MD]

There is this problem with latter-day fields — the drainage design is such that when a fielder goes into a hard slide on the grass, they can create a divot not with their spikes but with thier knee, and really end up risking injury as their slide locks up and turns into a tumble. McNeil — as both an infielder and an outfielder — created a lot of these knee divots.

[fimg=350]https://metsrostercentral.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/divot-1.png[/fimg] [fimg=350]https://metsrostercentral.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/divot-2.png[/fimg]

[fimg=350]https://metsrostercentral.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/divot-3.png[/fimg] [fimg=350]https://metsrostercentral.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/divot-4.png[/fimg]

[The Hot Corner]

He was versatile and played hard. Sometimes, his passion to succeed and win was a little over the top for my taste, but I appreciated his effort. Good contact hitter that seemed to get the most out his talent. I wish him well with the A's. This almost feels like a salary dump and/or cleaning out of the tenured, long-term Mets.