Imagine, then a competitor who, in his first 1,000 or so MLB plate appearances, has put up a .319/.383/.501 split.
You'd no doubt be truly envious and wondering "Why the heck do we Mets' fans like, never, ever, get guys that do that right out of the gate? That do that, period??"
Except this time, he IS our guy.
WE'RE the ones who've got Jeff McNeil.
How remarkable is McNeil's .319 career average?
Well, the highest batting average list of those current players who have reached some sort of (unspecified, but higher) total plate appearances is as follows:
1. Miguel Cabrera .313
2. Jose Altuve .311
3. DJ Lemahieu .305
4. Joey Votto .304
McNeil (so far) is higher than all of them. 15 points higher than # 4.
And a slugging % of .501 from a guy like McNeil who was a minor league singles hitter his first 3 years in the minors? Wow.
David Wright in his career was .296/.376/.491. So far, McNeil is ahead.
Darryl Strawberry as a Met was .263/.359/.520. So far, McNeil is ahead.
Mike Piazza as a Met was .296/.373/.542. Jeff's numbers are pretty equivalent so far.
Keith Hernandez as a Met was .297/.387/.429. Similar but Jeff has a substantial leading in slug %.
Only John Olerud had a slight edge on McNeil as, while with the Mets for 3 seasons in the prime peak of his career, he was .315/.425/.501. But he and McNeil, splits-wise, are very close.
You could rationalize about the above hitters relative to McNeil - he needs to do it longer to be truly compared to them, etc.
Only Olerud has a lifetime Mets batting average over .300. # 2 is Keith at .297. # 10 is Wally at .283, 36 points lower than McNeil.
But think about what he's done so far ... and appreciate that, yes indeed, he is a New York Met.
Don't rush off now - slow down - breathe deeply.
APPRECIATE the moment. I just did.
After all:
WE'RE the ones who've got Jeff McNeil.
Quite right Tom. Kind of my point this morning. Less than a year ago Jeff Wilpon was "running" the show, we were dealing with COVID, the season was in doubt and we had no idea what if anything we could expect from anyone slotted in behind DeGrom among other problems. Dark clouds were circling and now we have an owner WHO NOT ONLY IS A MET FAN but has crazy money and is willing to spend it....let that sink in for a while. My excitment over this coming season is beyond anything I can remember in quite some time because we know (we all hope) he won't quit till we reach the promised land and how much better are we than we were at this time last year so lets, like that Sugerland album a few years ago, ENJOY THE RIDE AND LGM!
ReplyDeleteGary, I agree - and how Cohen became wealthy was a key eye for performance. I think we are seeing that acumen translating into team moves.
ReplyDeleteI'm not greedy - I just want the Mets to win 1,000 regular season games over the next 10 years, that's all :)
Interesting piece Tom. You and I seem to have some differing ideas of what we like in a player.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that in the five Mets comparisons above, three of the five were outstanding defensive players; Piazza never was known for his catching, but at that important position, he held his own through his Mets years, and Strawberry was a dynamic power threat in line-up.
I just see McNeil as a below average fielder, especially on the infield. I hope that he can become a good second baseman working with Lindor. I am just not feeling it yet.
I think McNeil is a close to average 2B, and a fairly decent OF myself. I am hoping that 2021 brings us McNeil's best offensive year yet.
ReplyDeleteI think Jeff has the capability of winning a batting title -- and I'm a guy who still really likes BA, which after being overrated for more than 100 years, is not a little underrated, IMO.
ReplyDeleteGuy can hit.
Hope he stays healthy. That's my chief concern.
I think he's a below-average defender and I see him as a notch below Cano at 2B. Concerned he'll get hurt turning a DP.
Really enjoy him and love his hitting approach, first-pitch swinging, being aggressive. I wouldn't want everyone to be like Jeff, but it's very refreshing. Not every player can fit into a mold.
Jimmy
Put him at 2nd base AND LEAVE HIM THERE....PLEASE
ReplyDeleteJimmy - yep - gotta love the bat. Hopefully the D will improve - I wonder, as Gary suggests, he did stay mostly at 2B if his fielding would get better due to consistency of use.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to improve on arm strength. I don't see him making those plays behind 2B or gunning it to 1B on a DP.
ReplyDeleteHopefully he'll be adequate there.
Jimmy
I can see Lindor getting a bit frustrated when his double plays don't get finished. And the pitchers as well . . I wish they still had Gimenez to pair with Lindor.
ReplyDelete